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Africa Cup of Nations Kicking off in Morocco on Sunday 21 December, the final at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium will be played on Sunday 18 January – much earlier than in previous years when it was held at this time of the calendar.
To minimize disruption to the European football season, the 35th edition of the biennial tournament was initially scheduled to be played in July and August 2025.
But the timing of the Africa Cup of Nations is once again a topic of discussion – which is unfair to the tournament itself as it is weakened by the endless expansion of club football.
It was decided to move the Africa Cup of Nations to December to make room for expansion club world cupWhich featured 32 teams for the first time and took place in the United States between June and July earlier this year.
On the other hand, the conclusion of the new Champions League league stage in January, including an additional two matches, forced the Afcon to start earlier and the tournament had to be played over the Christmas and New Year period for the first time.
Many teams are unhappy – particularly with the sudden change in the date for clubs to release their players for the tournament, from seven days before the opening game to less than a week.
As a result, coaches have cut down on significant preparation time, but players can be sharp and ready to go, especially those in European leagues. “Releasing a player on the 15th for the Afcon to start on the 21st is nonsense,” said Angola head coach Patrice Buemele.
A FIFA statement said: “After meaningful consultation with key stakeholders under the leadership of FIFA and thanks to the spirit of solidarity demonstrated by CAF to minimize the impact on the various parties, the Bureau of the Council has taken the decision regarding the mandatory release of players for the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025, which will take place in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.
“In line with the same principle used for the FIFA World Cup 2022, the release period will be reduced by seven days and will begin on Monday, 15 December 2025.”
Morocco stepped in to host after Guinea was stripped of staging rights over concerns about infrastructure and facilities in the country.
The host cities are the capital Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, Marrakesh, Fes and Tangier, where the tournament will be played in nine different stadiums.