PL clubs ranked on AFCON impact: Sunderland, Man Utd hit hard; Arsenal, Leeds profit?

Sunderland will need all their momentum to avoid their season being AFCON-ed, while Man Utd are sure to suffer too. But Arsenal are unaffected and Leeds may profit…

The Africa Cup of Nations 2025 takes place in Morocco, starting on December 21, with the final on Sunday January 18.

Here’s how the tournament interferes with the Premier League schedule…

Any players called up are obliged to do their national service from now, with those representing countries who go deep perhaps missing as many as six league matches.

The AFCON group stage concludes on December 31, so any players from nations that fail to make the knockout stages could return for matchweek 20, over the weekend of January 3 and 4.

The FA Cup third round is scheduled for the weekend of January 10, by which time, AFCON will be down to the quarter-finalists.

The Champions League and Europa competitions take a break throughout the duration of AFCON but recommence in the week beginning Monday January 19 – the day after the final.

Here, from completely f***ed by AFCON to completely fine, is how we’ve ranked the Premier League clubs…

Players are listed in order of Premier League starts up to December 15…

1) Sunderland – 6 players

Noah Sadiki (DR Congo), Reinildo (Mozambique), Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco), Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso), Habib Diarra (Senegal), Arthur Masuaku (DR Congo)

Sunderland might need all the positive momentum from a flying start and a derby win to get them through AFCON since the six they are set to lose have been good for 52 Premier League starts this season. The half-dozen are all are guaranteed to miss a trip to Brighton and the visits of Leeds and Manchester City.

2) Manchester United – 3 players

Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco)

Ruben Amorim is said to be thinking the unthinkable to cope without the right side of his team. All three will definitely miss Villa, Newcastle and Wolves, while any United player reaching the semi-finals will also be absent for the derby.

3) Fulham – 3 players

Alex Iwobi (Nigeria), Calvin Bassey (Nigeria), Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria)

Iwobi has started every game and Bassey is only one behind, so both will be missed. Chukwueze has come off the bench nine times. All will miss clashes with Forest and West Ham, with Marco Silva secretly hoping Nigeria replicate their World Cup qualification f*** up.

4) Burnley – 3 players

Lyle Foster (South Africa), Axel Tuanzebe (DR Congo), Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia)

The Clarets trio will miss clashes with Bournemouth, Everton and Newcastle during the group stage. Hannibal would have missed the first two anyway due to suspension.

MORE: Premier League fixtures: which games fall during AFCON?

5) Everton – 2 players

Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal), Idrissa Gueye (Senegal)

Everton’s Senegalese duo were ever-presents in the Premier League before Gueye slapped James Tarkowski at Old Trafford. Adam Aznou was left out of the Morocco squad, which makes little difference to David Moyes either way.

6) West Ham – 2 players

El Hadji Malick Diouf (Senegal), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (DR Congo)

Nuno will have to do without both full-backs for games against Manchester City, Fulham and Brighton at least.

7) Brentford – 2 players

Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso), Frank Onyeka (Nigeria)

Ouattara’s absence comes as a blow for Keith Andrews, while Onyeka has come off the bench six times. The Carabao Cup quarter-final at Manchester City will be the first game the pair miss.

8) Nottingham Forest – 2 players

Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast), Willy Boly (Ivory Coast).

Sangare will be a miss but Boly hasn’t featured for Forest in the Premier League this season.

9) Wolves – 2 players

Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast), Tawanda Chirewa (Zimbabwe).

Wolves received a rare boost of sorts when it emerged they would lose only two players when it seemed they would wave off five. Marshall Munetsi sits out the Zimbabwe’s campaign due to injury while Jackson Tchatchoua and Tolu Arokodare were omitted from Cameroon and Nigeria squads.

10) Crystal Palace – 1 player

Ismaila Sarr (Senegal)

Losing Sarr is a blow, especially for the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Oliver Glasner could have lost Christantus Uche was left out by Nigeria, while Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure have been crocked.

11) Liverpool – 1 player

Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

Salah’s call-up might have seemed a blessing before an uneasy accord was reached between the striker and Arne Slot. He’ll miss Spurs, Wolves, Leeds, Fulham, Arsenal and Burnley if Egypt reach the semi-finals.

12) Brighton – 1 player

Carlos Baleba (Cameroon)

Cameroon are generally fancied to make the last eight, in which case, the Seagulls will be without their £100m-rated midfielder against Sunderland, Arsenal, West Ham, Burnley and Manchester City.

13) Manchester City – 2 players

Omar Marmoush (Egypt), Rayan Ait-Nouri (Algeria)

Almost business as usual for Pep since neither Marmoush or Ait-Nouri are currently in his best XI.

14) Tottenham – 2 players

Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal), Yves Bissouma (Mali)

Bissouma is yet to play this season so no biggie there. Senegal are fancied to go far, so Sarr could sit out seven games, including the Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund two days after the AFCON final.

15) Aston Villa – 1 player

Evann Guessand (Ivory Coast)

The £30.5million summer signing has featured in 11 of Villa’s Premier League games so far and seemed to be finding his feet with a goal and an assist in his last two appearances in all competitions.

16) Bournemouth – 0 players

Amine Adli was omitted by Morocco while Andoni Iraola must have been secretly chuffed that Ghana completely f***ed it in qualifying so Antoine Semenyo can stick around.

17) Chelsea – 0 players

Chelsea will lose none of their 427 players, but during AFCON, they face opposition mostly unaffected too. Only Fulham will feel it and they could get their players back if Nigeria make a balls-up of the group stage like they did their World Cup qualifying campaign.

18) Arsenal – 0 players

Likewise, Arsenal are unaffected and they might profit against Everton, without Gueye and Ndiaye, when they meet on AFCON’s opening weekend.

19) Newcastle – 0 players

Yoane Wissa was left out of the Congo squad having failed to prove his form or fitness after his recent layoff. Alan Shearer will be pleased.

20) Leeds – 0 players

Half of Leeds’ six fixtures during AFCON come against the top three most affected sides: Sunderland, Manchester United and Fulham. It’s all coming up Farke.