AFCON 2023: Top European Clubs Get Break as FIFA Delays Player Release

AFCON Trophy

The Africa Cup of Nations is coming, and FIFA's decision to delay player release has given clubs some breathing room. Read more.

“It was also decided to encourage member associations participating in the 2025 AFCON and clubs releasing players...”

FIFA has given top European clubs a break, allowing them to keep their star players until December 15 before they head off to the Africa Cup of Nations. This means players like Mohamed Salah, Bryan Mbeumo, and Achraf Hakimi can play for their clubs for an extra week.

Clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United, and Paris Saint-Germain will still lose key players for up to five weeks, but this decision softens the blow. The Africa Cup of Nations is happening in Morocco from December 21 to January 18, and these players will be joining their national teams for the 24-nation tournament.

Initially, there were concerns that the wait could be even longer, but FIFA ultimately amended its rules, softening the blow for clubs by pushing back the release date by a week.

The decision was made 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,” FIFA explained in a statement, specifically highlighting the cooperation of the Confederation of African Football, the tournament organisers.

“It was also decided to encourage member associations participating in the 2025 AFCON and clubs releasing players... to engage in good faith bilateral discussions in order to find appropriate individual solutions,” FIFA added.

Before FIFA's ruling, players were expected to report for international duty by December 8, which would've left English Premier League clubs without key players for up to 7-8 league matches during a busy part of the season.

The Africa Cup of Nations is coming at a tough time for some clubs, with teams like Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers facing the prospect of being without several key players - up to 7 and 5 players respectively.

Liverpool is facing a tough time ahead, missing out on Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah, who'll be heading to the Africa Cup of Nations. Manchester City will also be without Omar Marmoush, while Manchester United will miss Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui. On the bright side, league leaders Arsenal, Chelsea, and Leeds won't be affected.

The Africa Cup of Nations is just around the corner, and several top European clubs are set to lose key players. Salah, Mbeumo, Diallo, and Mazraoui are some of the big names heading to Morocco for the tournament.

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: FIFA have allowed clubs to keep African players until December 15 for AFCON, even though they were meant to join their national teams from December 7.

Several African federations believe this is a LACK OF RESPECT, having already scheduled friendly games… pic.twitter.com/GjUuuj6Dj7

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) December 2, 2025

PSG, the French and European champions, will be without Achraf Hakimi, the reigning African player of the year. On the other hand, European giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, and Juventus won't be affected as none of their players are involved in the tournament.

Bayern Munich's Nicolas Jackson, a Senegal forward on loan from Chelsea, will participate in the tournament, but he won't miss many Bundesliga games since the league is already on its winter break from December 22 to January 8.

The tournament favourites include Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, and Senegal, who are all looking to make a strong impression in the Africa Cup of Nations.