A complete of 49 Premier League gamers might miss a part of this season as a result of 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and new Manchester United signing Bryan Mbuemo are among the many largest Premier League names who might characteristic on the competitors.
Commercial
Afcon, held biennially, has traditionally posed choice challenges for golf equipment throughout winter fixtures, with star gamers quickly unavailable.
The subsequent version of the event, going down in Morocco, lasts for 4 weeks from Sunday, 21 December, 2025 to Sunday, 18 January, 2026.
A complete of 54 gamers from African nations at present play within the Premier League, however with Ghana and Guinea-Bissau each failing to qualify, Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus and Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo are among the many 5 African gamers within the Premier League who is not going to characteristic on the competitors.
Six rounds of Premier League fixtures are because of happen between these dates, in addition to the third spherical of the FA Cup and the semi-final first legs of the EFL Cup, that means that there’s a complete of eight matches some gamers might miss.
Commercial
Which gamers could possibly be chosen?
Within the 2024-25 Premier League season, African trio Mohamed Salah, Bryan Mbuemo (pictured) and Yoane Wissa all featured within the competitors’s prime 9 objective scorers [Getty Images]
In addition to Salah and Mbuemo, a number of different vital gamers could possibly be known as up by their nations for this yr’s Afcon.
Egypt might additionally name up Salah’s worldwide team-mate Omar Marmoush of Manchester Metropolis, whereas Brentford’s Yoane Wissa might characteristic for the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson is a Senegal worldwide, as are Everton midfielders Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye.
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana could also be known as up by Cameroon., whereas Tottenham midfielders Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr might play for Mali and Senegal, respectively.
Commercial
Which golf equipment are affected probably the most?
Sunderland have seven gamers from African nations of their squad who might all obtain call-ups to AFCON.
Nottingham Forest, who may even have European soccer to additionally negotiate this season, have six gamers who might characteristic at Afcon.
Brighton are the one membership to have a number of African gamers that can’t characteristic at AFCON as a result of gamers’ nations not qualifying.
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Leeds and Newcastle are the 4 golf equipment who at present do not need an African participant of their squads.
Which nations are finest represented?
Sunderland’s summer time signing Simon Adingra was named Greatest Younger Participant on the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (performed in 2024) [Getty Images]
Of the 24 nations at Afcon, 15 have not less than one participant from their nation at a Premier League membership.
Commercial
Ivory Coast and Senegal are the preferred African nation within the Premier League, with eight gamers every at present at Premier League golf equipment.
Nigeria are the subsequent hottest nation with seven, intently adopted by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Morocco who’ve 4 every.
Burkina Faso, South Africa, Tunisia, Algeria and Mozambique all have one participant every at Premier League golf equipment.
Full listing of Premier League gamers who might characteristic at AFCON
Bournemouth: Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso), Hamed Traore (Ivory Coast)
Arsenal: No African gamers in present first-team squad
Aston Villa: No African gamers in present first-team squad
Commercial
Brentford: Yoane Wissa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Frank Onyeka (Nigeria),
Brighton: Carlos Baleba (Cameroon), Abdallah Sima (Senegal), Malick Yalcouye (Ivory Coast)
Burnley: Axel Tuanzebe (Democratic Republic of Congo), Manuel Benson (Angola), Lyle Foster (South Africa), Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia)
Chelsea: Nicolas Jackson (Senegal)
Crystal Palace: Ismaila Sarr (Senegal), Cheick Doucoure (Mali), Chadi Riad (Morocco)
Everton: Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal), Idrissa Gueye (Senegal)
Fulham: Calvin Bassey (Nigeria), Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)
Leeds: No African gamers in present first-team squad
Liverpool: Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
Commercial
Manchester Metropolis: Omar Marmoush (Egypt), Rayan Ait-Nouri (Algeria)
Manchester United: Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco), Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Andre Onana (Cameroon), Bryan Mbuemo (Cameroon)
Newcastle: No African gamers in present first-team squad
Nottingham Forest: Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast), Taiwo Awoniyi (Nigeria), Emmanuel Dennis (Nigeria), Willy Boly (Ivory Coast), Ola Aina (Nigeria), David Carmo (Angola)
Sunderland: Blondy Nna Noukeu (Cameroon), Habib Diarra (Senegal), Ahmed Abdullahi (Nigeria), Reinildo Mandava (Mozambique), Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco), Noah Sadiki (Democratic Republic of Congo), Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast)
Commercial
Tottenham: Yves Bissouma (Mali), Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)
West Ham: El Hadji Malick Diouf (Senegal), Maxwel Cornet (Ivory Coast), Nayef Aguerd (Morocco), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Wolves: Marshall Munetsi (Zimbabwe), Boubacar Traore (Mali), Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast), Tawnda Chirewa (Zimbabwe)
African gamers whose nations haven’t certified for Afcon: Antoine Semenyo (Ghana and Bournemouth), Tariq Lamptey (Ghana and Brighton), Yankuba Minteh (Gambia and Brighton), Beto (Guinea-Bissau and Everton), Mohammed Kudus (Ghana and Tottenham)
This text is the most recent from BBC Sport’s workforce.
Commercial
What’s Ask Me Something?
Ask Me Something is a service devoted to answering your questions.
We need to reward your time by telling you stuff you have no idea and reminding you of stuff you do.
The workforce will discover out the whole lot it’s good to know and have the ability to name upon a community of contacts together with our consultants and pundits.
We will probably be answering your questions from the guts of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at among the world’s largest sporting occasions.
Our protection will span the BBC Sport web site, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio.
Extra questions answered…