The 35th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), was originally scheduled to be held in Morocco from June to July 2025. However, due to a scheduling conflict with the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, it was rescheduled to take place in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
A total of 24 teams have qualified for the final tournament of this AFCON through the qualifying rounds. The specific groups are as follows:
- Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros
Group B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe
Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania
Group D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana
Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan
Group F: Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique
The group stage will run from December 21 to December 31. The knockout stage will start on January 3, progressing through the Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and finally the Final. The Final is scheduled to be held on January 18.
Since this AFCON is once again scheduled at the end of the year, many clubs in Europe's major leagues will face the situation where many of their African players need to leave the team to participate in the tournament.
In this article, we will bring an overview of the participating players from the 24 AFCON teams and see which major European league clubs they come from.
Group A: Host Morocco’s Star-Studded Squad Leads the Charge
Morocco
The 26-man squad announced by host Morocco is star-studded. As Africa's currently highest-ranked team and the host of this tournament, Morocco only won the championship once back in 1976. Their goal this time is naturally to win the long-awaited AFCON title at home.
There are many famous players in this squad who play in Europe. Although goalkeeper Yassine Bounou currently plays in the Saudi League rather than the European stage, he has played in La Liga for many years during his career.
In the defensive line, Achraf Hakimi from Paris Saint-Germain, who can be called the world's top right-back, is the team's super star. In addition, the defensive line also includes Noussair Mazraoui from Manchester United, Anass Salah-Eddine from the Eredivisie, Nayef Aguerd from Marseille in Ligue 1, and Badr Boulahroud from Rennes.
The midfield line includes Amrabat, a former Manchester United player now playing for Real Betis in La Liga, PSV Eindhoven star Ismael Saibari, Roma midfielder Houssem Aouar, and Stuttgart's attacking midfield core Deniz Undav.
There are also many excellent players in the forward line, such as Betis' main winger Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, Real Madrid's main rotation forward Brahim Diaz, and Talbi from Sunderland who can play on both wings. In addition, Bayer Leverkusen winger Ben Seghir is only 20 years old. Although he has not played much, he is already a bright rising star.
Mali
Mali, which is second only to host Morocco in strength in this group, has many outstanding stars in the team, but they are mainly concentrated in the midfield and forward lines.
Among the defensive players, there is Sékou Niakaté, a center-back who has long played in Ligue 1 and currently plays for Braga in the Primeira Liga. In addition, there are Osman Camara, the main center-back of Angers in Ligue 1, Woyo Coulibaly, a substitute full-back of Sassuolo in Serie A, Fodé Doucouré, a rotating winger of Le Havre in Ligue 1, and Hamari Traoré, the main right-back of Paris FC in Ligue 1.
In the midfield and forward positions, especially midfielders, Mali has a very strong lineup. There is Yves Bissouma, a tough guy from Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, but he is currently in the injury recovery stage. Mamadou Sangaré, the core midfielder of Lens in Ligue 1, is another important player of the team. In addition, midfielders such as Amadou Haidara from RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, Karim Dumbia from Brest in Ligue 1, Lassana Coulibaly from Lecce in Serie A, and Mamadou Dumbia from Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia have all been selected.
Among the forward players, Douglas from Fenerbahçe in the Turkish Super League and Touré from Beşiktaş are the team's main attackers. In addition, Diarra from Feyenoord, Kamory Dumbia from Brest, etc. are all options for the attack line.
Zambia
Zambia's team includes center-back Stoppila Sunzu, who is familiar to Chinese fans. Sunzu has played for Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, Cangzhou Mighty Lions, and Changchun Yatai in China. During his career, he has also played for Lille, Metz, Sochaux and other teams in Ligue 1. In the Zambia national team, Sunzu is also a veteran with 80 appearances. In addition, Zambia's team has other capable players, including winger Emmanuel Banda who plays for Lecce in Serie A and is a main rotation player of the team.
Comoros
Currently, there are no players from Comoros playing in the top five leagues. However, there are many players who have played in Ligue 1 before, such as midfielder Youssouf, who currently plays in Saudi Arabia and previously played for Bordeaux and Saint-Étienne in Ligue 1 for many seasons.
Group B: Salah’s Egypt Relies Heavily on Domestic Talents
Egypt
Egypt, a traditional North African powerhouse and the team with the most AFCON championships in history, has 8 players from Al Ahly, a strong team in the domestic league, 4 from another strong team Pyramids FC, and 5 from Zamalek SC in its 28-man squad this time. Players from these three domestic clubs account for 60%, while only Mohamed Salah from Liverpool in the Premier League, Mostafa Mohamed from Manchester City in the Premier League, and striker Mostafa Mohamed from Nantes in Ligue 1 are from major European leagues.
Team captain Salah, although he has not been happy at Liverpool recently, his strength and seniority in the Egyptian team make him undoubtedly the core player of the national team. Currently, Salah has played more than 100 international games for Egypt, scoring 61 goals, and is Egypt's all-time top scorer.
Manchester City's Mahmoud Marmoush is currently in his prime at the age of 26. After joining Manchester City at the beginning of this year, his performance in the second half of last season was quite good. But in the new season, he has lost his position at Manchester City and can only come off the bench for sporadic playing time in each game. However, in the Egyptian national team, Marmoush should be an inevitable candidate for the starting forward line.
As for Mostafa Mohamed from Nantes, he has also lost his starting position at the club at this stage. As a center-forward, he has only scored two goals this season. His form at the club is similar to Marmoush's at Manchester City. It remains to be seen whether the two of them can regain their form in this AFCON.
South Africa
South Africa's strength is no longer what it used to be. Currently, the team's players are mainly composed of players from the two domestic giants Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns. There are very few famous players who truly play in Europe. Forward Lyle Foster, who currently plays for Burnley, is the only representative of players from the top five leagues.
Angola
Although there are no superstars in Angola's team, the team's strength is by no means weak. In this squad, there are many players who play in the top five leagues. For example, defender David Carmo is currently the absolute main center-back of Real Oviedo in La Liga, and he is also the most valuable player in this Angola team. Another center-back Gelson Gaspar is the absolute main center-back of Lecce in Serie A. 33-year-old veteran center-back Clinton Mata is the main center-back of Lyon in Ligue 1. In addition, the defensive line also includes Jonathan Buatu, the main center-back of Gil Vicente in the Primeira Liga, and Pedro Bando, a 21-year-old main left-back of Famalicão in the Primeira Liga. The right-back is Rui Modesto from Udinese in Serie A, but he is only a fringe player at the club.
Among the midfield players, there is Rony Lopes, a fringe player of Rayo Vallecano in La Liga, as well as many midfield players from the Russian Premier League, Turkish Super League, Primeira Liga and other leagues. The forward players include center-forward Zito Luvumbo from Cagliari in Serie A and Benson Manuel from Swansea in the Championship. Both of these forward players are substitutes at their clubs. Forward Mbala Nzola from Pisa in Serie A is currently the main player at the club and will be the main scorer of this Angola team. But overall, the strength of the midfield and forward lines is not as good as that of the defensive players.
Zimbabwe
There is only one player from Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are currently at the bottom of the Premier League, in Zimbabwe's team, that is, midfielder Tawanda Chirewa. However, he is also a player at the end of the bench at Wolves. Most of Zimbabwe's other players are from England's lower leagues or African local clubs, and there are not many top league players who play in Europe.
Group C: Nigeria’s Star-Studded Attack Leads Title Hopes
Nigeria
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has also won the AFCON three times in history. This team, which has stars such as Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, and Calvin Bassey, is definitely a major favorite to win the AFCON this time.
In the defensive line, Calvin Bassey, the absolute center-back core from Fulham in the Premier League, is also the first choice for Nigeria's starting center-back. In addition, William Troost-Ekong, the main center-back of Nantes in Ligue 1, can only be a substitute in Nigeria, and Ola Aina from Hull City in the Championship may be the second starting center-back of the national team. For the two full-back positions, there are Bright Osayi-Samuel from Olympiacos in the Greek Super League, Zaidu Sanusi from Porto in the Primeira Liga, Emmanuel Dennis from Birmingham in the Championship, and Tosin Adarabioyo from Blackburn Rovers in the Championship. Among the above four full-back players, except for Adarabioyo, the other three are not absolute main players at their clubs. So Nigeria's defensive line shows that the center-back strength is prominent, while the strength of the two full-back positions is relatively weak.
The midfield players include Onuachu, a tough-tackling midfielder from Club Brugge in the Belgian Pro League; Wilfred Ndidi, a former Leicester City tough guy currently playing for Beşiktaş in the Turkish Super League; Frank Onyeka, a substitute player from Brentford in the Premier League; Akinwunmi Amoo, the main midfielder of Pisa in Serie A; and Joe Aribo, a midfield player from Lazio in Serie A who has just recovered from injury. Nigeria's midfield is relatively pragmatic, with no particularly outstanding players, but each player has their own characteristics.
Nigeria's forward players are star-studded. The top striker, Victor Osimhen from Galatasaray in the Turkish Super League, is undoubtedly the team's first star. He has scored 31 goals in 46 appearances for Nigeria. Star Ademola Lookman from Atalanta in Serie A is also a sharp attacking weapon in the forward line, and his value is second only to Osimhen in the team. Alex Iwobi, who became famous at a young age at Arsenal, is currently only 29 years old and plays for Fulham in the Premier League. His ability to play on the wing and be responsible for transitions in the midfield gives Nigeria more tactical flexibility. In addition, forwards such as Moses Simon from Paris FC in Ligue 1, Taiwo Awoniyi and Emmanuel Dennis from Sevilla in La Liga, Chukwueze, Iwobi's teammate at Fulham, and Paul Onuachu from Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super League may all be starters in other African teams, but in Nigeria, they may all need to find ways to compete for a playing opportunity.
Tunisia
Tunisia's strength in North Africa has not shown particularly prominently in recent years. Compared with Morocco, which is also in North Africa, there are far fewer stars in the team.
Montassar Talbi, the main center-back from Lorient in Ligue 1, and Ali Abdi, a left-sided player from Nice in Ligue 1, are among the few defensive players in the team who play in the top five leagues. In addition, Yan Valery, who has long played in the English league and currently plays for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, is also an important defensive player in the team.
The midfield mainly relies on Ellyes Skhiri who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. He is currently the main midfielder of this Tunisia team. The attacking midfield position is Hannibal Mejbri who plays for Burnley in the Premier League, but he is only a substitute at Burnley.
The forward line has the double stars Ismael Gharbi and Elias Saad from Augsburg in the Bundesliga. However, both of them are in a very difficult situation at Augsburg. Gharbi has only played 4 times in the Bundesliga this new season, while Saad has played 10 times but has recently been reduced to the bench. The other forward players playing in Europe are Anis Ben Slimane from Celtic in the Scottish Premiership and Taha Yassine Khenissi from Copenhagen in the Danish Super League. The leagues where these two play are not traditional major leagues.
Uganda
No players from Uganda's entire team play in the top five leagues. Most of them play in second-tier leagues such as the Czech Republic, Romania, and Scotland. Perhaps only Lorenz Assignon, who has played briefly in the Bundesliga, has a certain reputation in the team.
Tanzania
East African teams have never had much say in African football. Tanzania and Uganda are representing East Africa in the same group this time. Compared with Uganda, Tanzania's team strength is not much better. The most famous player of the team may only be Mbwana Samatta, the main forward candidate of Le Havre in Ligue 1. There are no other players who play in top European leagues.
Group D: Senegal’s Golden Generation Aims to Defend Glory
Senegal
Almost all of Senegal's team plays in major European leagues or the Saudi League. The total value of the team is also among the highest in all African teams. As the winner of the 2022 AFCON, Senegal is definitely a strong contender for the AFCON title this time.
In the goalkeeper position, there is the veteran Edouard Mendy who currently plays for Al-Ittihad in the Saudi League. The former Chelsea goalkeeper has still performed very well in the Saudi League in recent seasons. In addition, Alfred Gomis, the main goalkeeper of Nice in Ligue 1, also has certain strength, but recently Nice has suffered a miserable nine-game losing streak in Ligue 1 and the Europa League, and there is no sign of ending this losing streak. The third goalkeeper is Pape Sy from Le Havre in Ligue 1, who is also the starting goalkeeper in the Ligue 1 field.
The defensive line has famous players such as Mamadou Sakho from Strasbourg, Moussa Niakaté from Lyon, Kalidou Koulibaly from Al-Hilal, and Malick Diouf from West Ham United.
The midfield includes Pape Gueye from Villarreal in La Liga, paired with Pape Matar Sarr from Tottenham Hotspur, Lamine Camara from Monaco and other capable players. In addition, 36-year-old veteran Idrissa Gueye from Everton has also been selected into the squad.
The forward attacking players are led by the veteran Sadio Mane from Al Nassr. Other players include Nicolas Jackson from Bayern Munich, Mbaye Diagne from Paris Saint-Germain, Ismaila Sarr from Crystal Palace, Iliman Ndiaye from Everton and many other excellent attackers. In addition, Assane Diao, who is only 20 years old and from Como in Serie A, must not be ignored.
It can be said that every player of Senegal plays in major European leagues or the Saudi League, and their strength is definitely a major favorite to win the AFCON this time.
DR Congo
DR Congo, which successfully entered the World Cup intercontinental play-offs, has quite a few stars in the team. In the goalkeeper position, there is 20-year-old youngster Anthony Bongonda from Standard Liège in the Belgian Pro League, a future star in the team's goalkeeper position. In addition, Parfait Mandanda, the substitute goalkeeper of Le Havre in Ligue 1, has been the main goalkeeper of the national team.
The defensive line is led by Aaron Wan-Bissaka, a former Manchester United player and current main right-back of West Ham United in the Premier League. Axel Tuanzebe from Burnley is the main center-back of this national team.
The midfield line has 21-year-old substitute defensive midfielder Merveille Papela from Lille, who is a key training target of the national team. Of course, 20-year-old midfielder Abdoullah Ba from Sunderland in the Premier League has been targeted by many giants. After joining the Premier League this new season, he has performed very well, helping promoted team Sunderland rank in the middle of the standings. And Charles Pickel from Espanyol, Christian Kabasele from Watford and other players need to compete for the main position in the national team.
Compared with other positions, DR Congo's forward line seems much dimmer. Among them, the most famous may be Cedric Bakambu, who once played for Beijing Guoan and now plays for Real Betis in La Liga. In addition, Jessic Ngankam from Augsburg in the Bundesliga also has certain strength.
Benin
The underpowered Benin team does not have many players from the top five leagues. In the forward line, Jonathan David, who is currently on loan from Burnley to St. Pauli in the Bundesliga, has performed quite well. In the first three rounds of the Bundesliga at the start of this season, David scored a goal in each game. But then he fell into a slump. Currently, he has scored 4 goals in 11 Bundesliga games and recently suffered a thigh injury. However, as one of Benin's few stars, he was still selected into the AFCON squad. Another forward Tosin Adarabioyo is from Lorient in Ligue 1. He also performed brilliantly at the beginning of the season, but has not had much consistent performance since the season progressed, and is currently only a role between the main player and substitute at the club.
Botswana
The total value of Botswana's entire team is among the lowest in all teams participating in this AFCON. There is no player in the team that is memorable. With two strong teams, Senegal and DR Congo, in this group, it will be very difficult for them to achieve anything in the group.
Group E: Algeria’s Mahrez Leads a Mixed Squad
Algeria
Algeria, led by Riyad Mahrez, also has many players playing in Europe in this squad. Among them, the goalkeeper position has Luca Zidane, the son of Zinedine Zidane. He currently plays for Granada in the Segunda Division and also serves as the starting goalkeeper at the club.
The defensive line has Rayan Aït-Nouri, the left-back from Manchester City, but he is only a substitute at Manchester City and can hardly get any playing time. Ramy Bensebaini, the main center-back of Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, is also the main player of Algeria. The right-back is Raoul Bellanova from Verona in Serie A, who mostly plays as a right midfielder at the club.
The midfield line includes Youcef Atal from Nice, Farès Chaïbi from Eintracht Frankfurt, and Ibrahim Maaz from Bayer Leverkusen, all of whom are quite capable. Of course, Houssem Aouar, who currently plays for Al-Ittihad in the Saudi League, has already started his career of earning money early.
In the forward line, Karim Adeyemi from Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga is the main scoring point of this Algeria team. He has also performed very well at the club this season, scoring consecutive goals in the last two rounds of the Bundesliga. Baghdad Bounedjah from Paris FC and Anass Zaroury from Feyenoord are both good wingers. Of course, when it comes to Algeria, we must also mention Riyad Mahrez, who currently plays for Al Ahly in Saudi Arabia. The 34-year-old veteran is a meritorious player of Algeria. What achievements can he help Algeria achieve in this competition? Can he achieve something when not favored?
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso, which has long been obscure in Africa, actually has several quite capable players in the team.
The goalkeeper position has Hervé Koffi, the main player of Angers in Ligue 1. The defensive line is led by Edmond Tapsoba, the center-back of Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. The goalscoring center-back has also scored three goals in the Bundesliga this season. In addition, the defensive line also includes Quentin Merlin, the main left-back/left midfielder of Lorient in Ligue 1. In the midfield and forward positions, Dango Ouattara, the winger of Brentford, has also had bright performances in the Premier League this season, with three goals and four assists so far. 20-year-old forward Jérémie Frimpong from Freiburg in the Bundesliga has just returned from a long-term injury. Bertrand Traoré, who has played for many teams such as Aston Villa and Villarreal and is currently the main right winger of Sunderland in the Premier League, also has a good performance.
Overall, although Burkina Faso does not have superstars to help, they are fully capable of overwhelming Equatorial Guinea and Sudan to directly qualify for the knockout stage.
Equatorial Guinea
There are not many stars in Equatorial Guinea's team. Defender Saul Coco, who plays for Torino in Serie A, is one of the few main players from the top five leagues. Of course, the most familiar to Chinese fans is forward Asecio from Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. In addition, former West Ham United and Sassuolo midfielder Pedro Obiang is also an experienced veteran midfielder, currently playing for Monza in Serie B.
Sudan
Most of Sudan's entire team plays locally, with the most from local clubs Al-Hilal Khartoum and Al-Merrikh SC. In addition, there is a right winger Issa who plays for Chonburi in the Thai League. Sudan's strength will definitely not achieve anything in this group.
Group F: Ivory Coast vs Cameroon – A Group of Death Showdown
Ivory Coast
Almost all of Ivory Coast's team are players playing in Europe. In the defensive line, the center-back position has 22-year-old core center-back Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP, who has been chased by many European giants before. In addition, Evan Ndicka from Roma, Simon Kjær from Atalanta, and Willy Boly from Wolves are all starting center-back level players in Serie A or Premier League clubs. Meanwhile, Castello Lukeba from Strasbourg in Ligue 1 can not only play as a center-back but also as a right-back. Overall, Ivory Coast has a very abundant reserve of center-back positions.
In the midfield position, Ibrahim Sangaré from Nottingham Forest is an important defensive midfielder and a regular starter in the Ivory Coast team. Franck Kessie, who once played for Barcelona and currently plays for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, and N'Golo Kanté, who once played for Al Nassr and has now returned to the European stage to join Rennes in Ligue 1, are also important midfield players.
The forward line is even more luxurious. Amad Diallo from Manchester United, Jhon Durán, the main rotation player of Aston Villa, Boubacar Traoré from Hoffenheim, and Jean-Philippe Krasso from RB Leipzig are all good wingers. In addition, veteran Wilfried Zaha who played for Crystal Palace and Manchester United, Wakaso Mubarak from Udinese, and Sebastien Haller who has played in multiple leagues are all important options for the forward line.
Overall, this Ivory Coast team is definitely capable of competing for the championship. However, there is also the Indomitable Lions Cameroon in the same group, so Ivory Coast must not take it lightly.
Cameroon
Cameroon's squad can be said to be the most difficult to finalize in this AFCON. The Cameroonian Football Federation led by Cameroonian legend Samuel Eto'o previously announced a squad. But at the same time, the team's coach, Belgian Marc Brys, announced another squad, openly confronting the federation. Of course, this conflict is obvious because the federation previously wanted to sack Brys, but Brys refused to leave. It is very rare even in Africa, which is full of various bizarre situations, for a national team to have two match squads. It is reported that both Eto'o and Brys have publicly accused each other of many irregularities, turning the internal conflicts of the federation into a globally broadcast "scandal series".
In the end, the federation led by Eto'o defeated Brys and drove him away, then appointed a new coach. Local coach Rigobert Song became the new coach of the national team, and naturally, the national team's squad was based on the one announced by the federation led by Eto'o. This squad is missing forward Vincent Aboubakar, the current top scorer of the national team and captain, as well as players familiar to Chinese fans such as Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana, Guoan defender Jean-Charles Castelletto, midfielder André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and 36-year-old veteran forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
The biggest name in the current squad is Jeremy Doku from Manchester United. In addition, players such as Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford, Yves Bissouma from Brighton, Olivier Ntcham from Lorient, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Marseille, and Kouadio Kone from Bayer Leverkusen also have certain strength. So this Cameroon team must not be underestimated.
Gabon
The most famous player in Gabon's team is forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. In addition, there are several players who play in major leagues. For example, Jacques Ekomié is currently the main left-back of Angers in Ligue 1. Mario Lemina, a midfielder who has played for many Premier League teams before, has now moved to Galatasaray in Turkey. In addition, winger Denis Bouanga, who has played for many Ligue 1 teams before, also has certain strength. He moved to Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer as early as 2022, and Bouanga is also the main scoring point of this Gabon team. And our well-known Aubameyang, after playing in all five major leagues, once moved to the Saudi League to retire. Currently, Aubameyang has returned to the top five leagues to play for Marseille in Ligue 1, and his performance for Marseille this season has been quite amazing, with five goals and six assists in half a season.
Mozambique
As the weakest team on paper in this group, Mozambique has a very low sense of presence in African football. The only well-known players in the team are left-back Reinildo Mandava, who plays for Sunderland in the Premier League, and right winger Geny Catamo, who plays for Sporting CP in the Primeira Liga. Among them, Catamo just scored a brace in the last round of the Primeira Liga, which can be said to be in hot form. But it is almost impossible for Mozambique to get out of the group with the two giants Ivory Coast and Cameroon in this group.
Conclusion: Premier League Clubs Bear the Brunt of AFCON Disruption
Among the players called up by the 24 teams in this AFCON, many are core players of top five league clubs, and they will inevitably have to miss multiple games for their clubs. Among them, players from Premier League clubs need to miss the most games because other leagues will enter a more or less long winter break during Christmas and New Year, while only the Premier League has the most intensive schedule during this period.
The AFCON match schedule coincides with the 17th to 22nd rounds of the Premier League, and the third round of the FA Cup is also held during this period. In addition, even if these players' national teams are eliminated in the AFCON group stage, they will still miss the 17th to 19th rounds of the Premier League (the three rounds of the Premier League are scheduled from December 20 to January 1).
Except for the Premier League, teams from other top five leagues are obviously less affected by AFCON than Premier League teams. Some leagues will only play one or two rounds of league games during the AFCON, and most clubs should be able to overcome it easily.
So we only look at the impact of AFCON on Premier League teams. Looking through the squads of all 24 teams and corresponding to the clubs of the called-up players, we can make a simple statistic.
Sunderland: The Hardest Hit – Half the First Team Drained
In this AFCON, Sunderland, currently ranked in the middle of the Premier League, has contributed six players. The temporary departure of these six players to participate in AFCON will definitely be a devastating blow to promoted team Sunderland. Mozambique international Mandava is the team's main left-back, and DR Congo player Arthur Masuaku is Mandava's substitute left-back, which has emptied Sunderland's left-back position. Ba, who just transferred this summer, is the main midfielder, and midfielder Diarra, although he has been sidelined with injury for a long time, was an indispensable main midfielder of the team when he was healthy at the beginning of the season. In addition, wingers Talbi and Traoré are also important players with considerable playing time for the team. So this AFCON has almost taken away half of Sunderland's main players. For this promoted team, they need to quickly have a response plan to get through this AFCON period.
Fulham, Manchester United and Relegation Battlers Also Under Pressure
Fulham's three Nigerian stars all represent the national team in AFCON. The role of these three in the team is self-evident, especially center-back Bassey who is the core of Fulham. Currently in the lower half of the standings, Fulham's strength will inevitably be affected by the absence of these three Nigerian stars.
Manchester United also has three players participating in AFCON, namely Mazraoui, Diallo and Doku. Among these three, both Diallo and Doku are core forward starters of the team. Their absence will be a major blow to Manchester United's attack line.
Burnley, Wolves, and West Ham United, which are currently in the relegation zone, also have their main players called up to participate in AFCON. At a time when the Premier League enters the intensive Christmas and New Year schedule, this news adds insult to injury for their relegation battle.
In addition, giant clubs such as Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham also have several key players leaving the team. Aston Villa, which has performed brilliantly this season, only has Durán who needs to participate in AFCON, and he is by no means an ironclad starter in the team, so the impact on the team will not be great.
After these clubs have more or less had some players called up, will it change the trend of the Premier League this season? So who do you think is the most affected club by AFCON?
