Premier League Clubs That Will Lose Most Players To 2025 AFCON

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is set to trigger a significant mid-season squad crisis across the English Premier League, with a record number of players departing for the tournament in Morocco during the busiest period of the English football calendar.

Scheduled from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026, the tournament’s timing means clubs could be without key players for up to six or seven Premier League matches, plus crucial fixtures in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. The exact release date for players remains a point of negotiation, but the mass exodus is inevitable.

While the blow will be felt league-wide, the impact is wildly uneven. At one end of the spectrum, clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, and Leeds will be entirely unaffected. On the other hand, a handful of teams face the prospect of being stripped of their core assets, threatening to derail their seasons.

Here is a breakdown of the clubs set to be hardest hit by the player departure for AFCON:.

Sunderland (7 Players)
The season’s surprise package,sitting in a stunning 4th place, faces the most severe test. The Black Cats are set to lose a staggering seven players, many of whom are first-team regulars.

The departure of key attackers like Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra and Burkina Faso’s Bertrand Traore, combined with defensive mainstays like Mozambique’s Reinildo, could critically undermine their fairytale campaign.

Wolverhampton Wanderers (5 Players)
Anchoried to the bottom of the table and without a win,Wolves’ battle for survival becomes exponentially harder. The loss of five players, including regular starters like defender Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast) and striker Tolu Arokodare (Nigeria), deprives a struggling squad of vital experience and depth at its most vulnerable point.

Nottingham Forest (Up to 4 Players)
Forest faces significant uncertainty,with up to four players potentially on duty. The certain loss of midfield linchpin Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast) is a major blow.

The potential involvement of key attackers Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina (both Nigeria) would compound their problems, depending on the players’ fitness and national team decisions.

Fulham (3 Players)
Fulham’s spine will be directly impacted,losing three players to the Nigerian national team. Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Samuel Chukwueze will leave a gaping hole, testing the squad’s resilience during a packed fixture list.

Crystal Palace (1-4 Players): The confirmed loss of dynamic winger Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) is a major setback. Their final tally depends on the fitness of key defenders Chadi Riad (Morocco) and Cheick Doucoure (Mali).

Everton (2-3 Players): The Toffees will feel the absence of two starting XI regulars: midfielder Idrissa Gueye and forward Iliman Ndiaye (both Senegal).

Burnley (3 Players): The Clarets will be without a trio of players, including key striker Lyle Foster (South Africa) and defender Axel Tuanzebe (DR Congo).

Manchester United (3 Players): United’s right flank will be dismantled, with Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), and Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco) all departing.

Several clubs will breathe a sigh of relief. Arsenal, Chelsea, and Leeds have no players scheduled for departure. Furthermore, clubs like Bournemouth and Tottenham dodged a major bullet, as their star men Antoine Semenyo and Mohammed Kudus are available after Ghana failed to qualify.

For the managers of the affected clubs, the AFCON period represents a strategic nightmare, forcing them to navigate the Premier League’s most demanding stretch with severely depleted resources.