The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off on December 21, with a host of Premier League players set to leave their clubs mid-season to represent their countries.

The tournament runs until January 18, 2026, meaning players could miss up to six Premier League fixtures depending on how far their nation progresses. FIFA has confirmed that clubs are permitted to retain players until December 15 before releasing them for international duty.

Several Premier League sides will feel the impact of AFCON more than others over the winter period. Here’s a club-by-club breakdown:

Arsenal – 0 players

Arsenal will be unaffected, with no African internationals in their current first-team squad.

Aston Villa – 1 player

Winger Evann Guessand has been named in Ivory Coast’s squad and will depart for the tournament.

Bournemouth – 1 player

Summer signing Amine Adli has been selected by tournament hosts Morocco. The Cherries, however, avoid losing Antoine Semenyo after Ghana failed to qualify.

Brentford – 2 players

Dango Ouattara will represent Burkina Faso, while Frank Onyeka has been included in Nigeria’s squad.

Brighton & Hove Albion – 1 player

Despite a challenging season, Carlos Baleba remains part of Cameroon’s squad. Yankuba Minteh will stay at Brighton after Gambia failed to qualify.

Burnley – 3 players

Burnley will lose Lyle Foster (South Africa), Axel Tuanzebe (DR Congo), and Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia).

Chelsea – 0 players

Chelsea will not lose any first-team players to AFCON.

Crystal Palace – 1 player

Several Palace players were in contention, but injuries have limited their involvement.

• Chadi Riad (Morocco) and Cheick Doucouré (Mali) are yet to feature this season and will miss out.
• Ismaila Sarr has been selected for Senegal despite an injury sustained in December.
• Christantus Uche was named in Nigeria’s preliminary squad but did not make the final cut.

Everton – 2 players

Regular Senegal internationals Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye will both depart for AFCON.
Youngster Adam Aznou was not selected by Morocco.

Fulham – 3 players

Fulham will lose Nigerian trio Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, and Samuel Chukwueze.

Leeds United – 0 players

Leeds have no first-team players involved in the tournament.

Liverpool – 1 player

As expected, Mohamed Salah will represent Egypt.

Manchester City – 2 players

Omar Marmoush joins Salah in Egypt’s squad, while Rayan Aït-Nouri has been selected by Algeria despite limited recent club minutes.

Manchester United – 3 players

United will be hit hard, losing Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), and Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco).

Newcastle United – 0 players

Yoane Wissa would typically feature for DR Congo but was not selected due to ongoing injury issues.

Nottingham Forest – 2 players

Although Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina were named in Nigeria’s provisional squad, neither made the final selection.
Forest will instead lose Ibrahim Sangaré and Willy Boly, both called up by Ivory Coast.

Sunderland – 5 players

Sunderland are set to be the most affected club, with five first-team players departing:

• Noah Sadiki and Arthur Masuaku (DR Congo)
• Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco)
• Reinildo Mandava (Mozambique)
• Bertrand Traoré (Burkina Faso)

Simon Adingra was not selected by Ivory Coast.
Club-record signing Habib Diarra is expected to join Senegal’s squad despite recovering from a groin injury that has sidelined him since September.

Tottenham Hotspur – 2 players

Pape Matar Sarr will represent Senegal, while Yves Bissouma has been selected by Mali.
Mohammed Kudus will remain with Spurs after Ghana failed to qualify.

West Ham United – 2 players

West Ham will miss defensive duo Aaron Wan-Bissaka (DR Congo) and El Hadji Malick Diouf (Senegal).

Wolves – 2 players

Despite potentially losing more, Wolves will see just two players depart:

• Tawanda Chirewa (Zimbabwe)
• Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast)

Marshall Munetsi was not selected by Zimbabwe, while Tolu Arokodare (Nigeria) and Jackson Tchatchoua (Cameroon) missed out on final squads.