Premier League clubs have been handed a significant advantage ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after FIFA approved an extension that allows teams to keep their African stars for an additional week.
According to reports from the Daily Mail Sport, clubs will now only be required to release their players by December 15, a full seven days later than the original release date. This decision comes as a major relief to several English teams that were preparing for crucial league fixtures just before the tournament kicks off in Morocco.
The new ruling has particularly boosted Sunderland, who were facing the possibility of losing several key players before their highly anticipated Tyne–Wear derby against Newcastle on December 14. With the adjusted deadline, Sunderland will now have access to as many as seven first-team stars for the derby, the first top-flight meeting between the rivals in nine years. These include Chemesdine Talbi, Simon Adingra, Bertrand Traoré, Arthur Masuaku, Reinildo, Noah Sadiki, and Habib Diarra, all of whom were initially expected to depart early for AFCON duty.
Manchester United also stand to benefit from the extension. The club had been one of the strongest advocates for a delayed release date, and the new timeline now gives them the possibility of fielding Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo, and Noussair Mazraoui for their home match against Bournemouth on December 15. However, there remains some uncertainty as the fixture falls on the exact day of the new mandated release date, leaving it unclear whether these players will be eligible to participate.
Liverpool supporters will welcome the news as well. The club can now rely on Mohamed Salah, who was recently benched against West Ham, for their match against Brighton on December 13. Similarly, Manchester City’s fixture against Crystal Palace on December 14 will see Palace able to field Egypt international Omar Marmoush before he links up with his national team.
Across the Premier League, as many as 45 players are expected to leave for AFCON, which officially begins on December 21. Interestingly, only four clubs—Arsenal, Chelsea, Leeds, and Newcastle—will go unaffected, as they have no players called up for the tournament. Newcastle had been concerned about the potential absence of Yoane Wissa, signed from Brentford for £55 million, but the striker has not been selected by DR Congo due to injury.
Sunderland remain the most impacted team with their seven potential absentees, while Wolves—who have struggled this season with just two points from 13 matches—could lose up to five players. Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest are also preparing to play without several key squad members during the competition.
AFCON participation means players could miss up to eight matches, including a possible FA Cup third-round tie, if their countries advance to the final on January 18.
There is historical precedent for players joining late even after the official FIFA deadline; for example, Cameroon’s Andre Onana missed the opening match of the 2023 AFCON because he stayed back to play for Manchester United before traveling.