By Ben Willcocks
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The Africa Cup of Nations is set to wreak havoc on the Premier League‘s busy Christmas period, as tournament organisers plan to hold the competition from December 2025 to accommodate FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup, reports claim.
Ahead of the next staging of AFCON, which was initially scheduled for July and August 2025, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has been forced to reconsider plans as a result of FIFA’s new-look 32-team tournament.
Since the tournament’s new format was announced, changes to the Club World Cup have been criticised by global stakeholders, players and coaches amid a feeling that the stacked calendar is becoming impossible to manage in terms of welfare.
With FIFA’s new competition set to be held in the USA in June and July 2025, CAF — who referred to their situation as a ‘scheduling nightmare’ earlier this month — are considering possible alternatives and reportedly planning to stage the next Africa Cup of Nations between December 2025 and January 2026.
According to the Independent, Premier League chiefs are already understood to be concerned about AFCON’s new proposal, with fixture congestion already at a high during the busy Christmas period.
The Africa Cup of Nations is set to wreak havoc on the Premier League’s busy Christmas period
FIFA, led by Gianni Infantino, has scheduled its expanded Club World Cup for the summer of 2025, plaguing the Confederation of African Football’s initial plans to stage the tournament
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah would be one of the players absent unavailable in the Premier League during the busy Christmas schedule, should AFCON begin in December 2025
Although the Premier League continues to hold fixtures during AFCON, several players such as Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, Cameroon’s Andre Onana and Ghana’s Thomas Partey leave for international duty — meaning clubs would have to deal with a depleted squad during a concerning pinch point in the season.
The plans, which are currently being negotiated and have not not yet been finalised, come in the wake of FIFA being sued by FIFPRO’s European member unions over the revamped Club World Cup and its effect on the crammed calendar.
If the new proposals are agreed, AFCON would be sandwiched between the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup the following summer — and could force a relegation change in relation to FIFA’s rules on international call-ups.
FIFA rule that clubs cannot release the same player for more than one international finals tournament per year, which would currently force players to choose between the World Cup and AFCON. Both finals would be scheduled in 2026, as it stands.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group
