The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is fast approaching, and with Morocco set to host the month-long spectacle between Dec. 21 and Jan. 18, Premier League clubs are once again preparing for the annual mid-season shake-up. As the English season hits full throttle, a significant wave of talent, nearly four dozen players, is poised to abandon club colours temporarily in pursuit of international immortality.
Some of the league’s brightest performers, including Mohamed Salah, Bryan Mbeumo and Carlos Baleba, will trade domestic battles for continental ambition. Their departures, while expected, will still leave managers juggling lineups and improvising strategies as they navigate one of the campaign’s most brutal stretches.
Below is a club-by-club rundown of the expected AFCON call-ups and the national teams they will be representing:
Aston Villa
Ivory Coast: Evann Guessand
Bournemouth
Morocco: Amine Adli
Brentford
Burkina Faso: Dango Ouattara
Nigeria: Frank Onyeka
Brighton
Cameroon: Carlos Baleba
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Burnley
DR Congo: Axel Tuanzebe
South Africa: Lyle Foster
Tunisia: Hannibal Mejbri
Crystal Palace
Mali: Cheick Doucouré
Morocco: Chadi Riad
Nigeria: Christantus Uche
Senegal: Ismaïla Sarr
Everton
Morocco: Adam Aznou
Senegal: Iliman Ndiaye, Idrissa Gueye
Fulham
Nigeria: Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze
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Liverpool
Egypt: Mohamed Salah
Manchester City
Algeria: Rayan Aït-Nouri
Egypt: Omar Marmoush
Manchester United
Cameroon: Bryan Mbeumo
Ivory Coast: Amad Diallo
Morocco: Noussair Mazraoui
Nottingham Forest
Ivory Coast: Willy Boly, Ibrahim Sangaré
Nigeria: Ola Aina, Taiwo Awoniyi
Sunderland
Burkina Faso: Bertrand Traoré
DR Congo: Arthur Masuaku, Noah Sadiki
Ivory Coast: Simon Adingra
Morocco: Chemsdine Talbi
Mozambique: Reinildo
Senegal: Habib Diarra
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Tottenham
Mali: Yves Bissouma
Senegal: Pape Matar Sarr
West Ham
DR Congo: Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Senegal: El Hadji Malick Diouf
Wolverhampton
Cameroon: Jackson Tchatchoua
Ivory Coast: Emmanuel Agbadou
Nigeria: Tolu Arokodare
Zimbabwe: Marshall Munetsi, Tawanda Chirewa
With so many key figures jetting south, the Premier League’s festive fixtures could take on an entirely different complexion. Teams reliant on African stars may face tactical overhauls, line up reshuffles and even unexpected slumps, while others could seize the chaos to climb the table.
The countdown has begun. As the continent prepares for another edition of its most revered tournament, England’s elite must brace for the turbulence that comes when ambition and duty collide.
