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How to tune into Sport NationPunt or Swerve?: How AFCON impacts player availability for the Premier League
Riccardo Ball • November 26th, 2025 9:31 am
The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) gets underway in Rabat, Morocco on December 21 with the final taking place in the nation's capital January 18 (NZ time).
And while the Confederation's continental championship will always be a highlight for fans in the region, there is a knock-on effect for fans of club football in Europe, including the Premier League.
Players whose tournament ends at the group stages are likely to miss three rounds of Premier League football, while clubs whose players progress through to the semi-finals and finals could miss up to six rounds of this season's EPL, plus the FA Cup third round, in what is a congested part of the season.
Here’s who is least and most affected by AFCON, who to punt and who to swerve.
PUNT
Leeds United:
The Lilywhites haven’t lost a single player to AFCON and the timing for them couldn’t be better.
They host a heavily impacted Crystal Palace and visit an even more compromised Sunderland in the first week of the competition - both will be must-win games given the relegation battle Leeds are in.
Take those six points and the pressure will ease ahead of trips to a Mo Salah-less Liverpool and a visit to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.
Arsenal:
This shouldn’t be a revelation, ‘Punt Arsenal’, they lose no one to AFCON and they have an opportunity to bank some points through that month with Everton first up, who’ll be missing both Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye.
That is followed by a home game against Crystal Palace, who lose Ismaila Sarr to Senegal, Chadi Riad to the host nation and Christantus Uche to Nigeria.
Depending how deep into the tournament Egypt go, Liverpool could be missing Mo Salah when they visit on January 10, and Forest may have to host the Gunners on January 19 without the Ivorian pair of Ibrahim Sangare and Willy Boly, plus Nigerian internationals Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi.
Brentford:
The Bees have the opportunity to pick up much needed points during AFCON.
While they’ll lose Dango Ouattara, the fixtures they have in the window matches them with teams who are losing far more. Wolves could lose five squad members to the tournament, Spurs half of their viable midfield, Everton two first-choice players, and Sunderland could be without up to seven players between December 21 and January 8.
SWERVE
Sunderland:
The Black Cats could lose as many as seven first team members to AFCON.
DR Congo: Noah Sadiki (12 games played) and Arthur Masuaku (3), Morocco: Chemsdine Talbi (12), Mozambique: Reinildo Mandava (9), Senegal: Habib Diarra (4), Cote D’Ivoire: Simon Adingra (8), Burkina Faso: Bertrand Traore (7).
Those players have started 55 games between them this season and will leave holes, if not in the starting eleven, then definitely on the bench for Regis Le Brie.
Manchester United:
United may not be missing as many as Sunderland but they’ll lose their top scorer in Bryan Mbuemo to Cameroon and winger/wingback/10 Amad Diallo to Cote D’Ivoire - those two players have scored six of the 17 goals Ruben Amorim’s men have scored this season.
They’ll also lose first choice right back or right-sided centre back Noussair Mazraoui to Morocco.
Fulham:
The Cottagers have three Nigerian internationals in their squad and could lose all three for most of the AFCON if the Super Eagles play to their potential.
Defensive lynchpin Calvin Bassey and playmaker Alex Iwobi have started every game for Fulham this season, while Samuel Chukwueze has made ten appearances.
With Fulham’s form trending down, losing those three for games against fellow relegation candidates West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United could be crucial.
betcha Markets
With futures markets not available yet for AFCON, considering how much the tournament could affect Premier League teams, this is how the futures markets are shaping up.
All betcha odds are current at the time of publishing - R18, please gamble responsibly.
Premier League Top 4 market: Arsenal - $1.01, Manchester City - $1.13, Chelsea - $1.57, Liverpool - $1.57, Manchester United - $3.75, Aston Villa - $6.50, Newcastle United - $7, Brighton - $7.50, Crystal Palace - $7.50, Bournemouth - $9, Tottenham - $11.
Premier League Relegation market: Wolves - $1.08, Burnley - $1.17, Leeds - $2, West Ham - $2.75, Sunderland - $7.50, Nottingham Forest - $8, Fulham $8, Brentford $17, Everton - $21.
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