AFCON Player Release Deadline Extended to December 15

Addis Ababa, December 3, 2025 (FMC) – Clubs have been granted an extension for releasing players ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with the new deadline set for December 15.

The move allows some players to feature in an additional week of domestic and European fixtures before joining their national teams.

The change comes after discussions among CAF, the Confederation of African Football, and European football clubs, aimed at reducing the impact of AFCON on domestic competitions. Previously, players were expected to report by December 8.

According to The Athletic, Premier League clubs had generally anticipated that very few AFCON-bound players would have been required to leave so early.

The revised deadline allows clubs involved in the Champions League to retain players for fixtures on December 9 and 10, while those in the Europa and Conference Leagues can keep their internationals until December 11. Clubs can also hold onto their players for one additional domestic match, benefiting teams such as Sunderland, which faces the first top-flight Tyne-Wear derby since 2016.

Last year, Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana featured for Manchester United on January 14 before joining his national team for AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast, highlighting the challenges players face balancing club and country duties.

FIFA said the extension was agreed following “fruitful consultations led by FIFA with key stakeholders and, thanks to the spirit of solidarity demonstrated by CAF to reduce the impact on various parties.”

In the Premier League, Wolverhampton Wanderers are set to lose five players to AFCON, Nottingham Forest four, while Sunderland could be without seven first-team players. Arsenal, Chelsea, and Leeds United are the only top-flight sides without representatives in the tournament. Key players heading to Morocco include Mohamed Salah, Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui, Pape Matar Sarr, and Iliman Ndiaye.

AFCON 2025 will kick off in Morocco on December 21 with hosts Morocco facing Comoros. The tournament will conclude on January 18, 2026, meaning clubs may be without their internationals for several weeks.