Premier League Braces for AFCON 2025 Disruptions as Key Stars Head to Morocco
AFCON 2025: Premier League Squads Hit Hard as Stars Depart for Morocco
Forget winter break—this year, Premier League clubs are prepping for a wholly different kind of interruption. The Africa Cup of Nations 2025, set for 21 December through 18 January in Morocco, will see more than 50 top-flight players switch their club shirts for country colors. That’s 15 different nations pulling regular starters from the world’s most watched league, right in the heart of a title race.
The AFCON 2025 window overlaps with some of the toughest Premier League weeks—Matchweeks 17 to 19—meaning clubs will scramble for solutions as fixtures like Liverpool vs. Wolves and Arsenal vs. Brighton approach with depleted squads. Imagine being a Liverpool fan and watching Mohamed Salah, fresh off an FWA Footballer of the Year award, possibly miss up to six games during a crucial stretch. Already there’s buzz around how these absences could reshape the table.
Clubs and Fantasy Managers Plot Workarounds
The biggest teams are losing more than just their star scorers. Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace) and Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea) will jet off, leaving their sides short on attacking power. Bryan Mbeumo, a key man for Brentford, will line up for Cameroon, while Manchester United faces a brutal triple blow: goalkeeper Andre Onana (Cameroon), defender Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco), and the versatile young forward Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast) are all expected to join their national squads.
It doesn’t stop there. Tottenham’s midfield engine Pape Sarr (Senegal) and Wolves’ tenacious Marshall Munetsi (Zimbabwe) are also heading to Morocco. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City seems better-shielded this time, but Crystal Palace, Everton, and Wolves are among the hardest hit, losing squad depth just as games stack up around Christmas.
For fans, the result will be a very different looking Premier League for several weeks—and not just on the pitch. If you’re into fantasy football, missing Salah or Mbeumo can wreck a season. That’s why managers get extra transfers to adapt. There’s already heated discussion in FPL circles about which budget players or backups will become must-haves, and when best to bring back big-hitters as they return, likely from Gameweek 20.
This mass exodus is hardly new—the Premier League’s relationship with AFCON has always been a balancing act. But this season, the sheer volume, timing, and caliber of stars involved promises to send shockwaves through both the title race and the relegation dogfight. There’s sure to be drama both in Africa and back in England, as top players chase international glory and clubs work overtime to fill the gaps.