The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), hosted by Morocco, will take place from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.
This marks the first time in the tournament’s history that it will be held during the festive season, overlapping with the Premier League’s busy schedule and falling between rounds of the UEFA Champions League.
Meanwhile, the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), also to be held in Morocco, has been rescheduled to 5-26 July 2025. The original dates conflicted with FIFA’s inaugural 32-team Club World Cup.
With the increasing congestion of the club and international calendars, it remains uncertain whether Europe’s top clubs will release players for the 2025 Afcon. FIFA regulations state that clubs are not obliged to release the same player for more than one “A” team final competition per year, potentially impacting player availability for both the Nations Cup and the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico in June and July 2026.
The Professional Footballers’ Association has recently joined a legal action against FIFA, citing concerns over the “overloaded and unworkable” football calendar, which includes the expanded Club World Cup.
