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A host of Premier League sides will be bracing themselves for significant departures during the upcoming tournament

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After the September, October and November international breaks, supporters could be forgiven for having some international football fatigue. But even before we get to next summer, there's another major international tournament on the way - and unlike in the previous breaks, this one could significantly disrupt either your fantasy team, or your actual bricks and mortars side. That's because AFCON 2025 kicks off in Morocco on December 21 and runs up until January 18, 2026, with the 24 participants able to draw from no less than 42 Premier League players… so who's going? The above graphic shows every Premier League player that could be heading to Morocco for some winter sun next month - with some clubs signifcantly impacted. It's worth bearing in mind that this list is of players who play for the nations competing at AFCON, so some may not be selected due to form, while others such as Newcastle United's Yoane Wissa are set to miss out through injury.

But there are a couple of eye-catching clubs on there, not least high-flying Sunderland, who have been this season's surprise package in the Premier League and have spent the November international break sitting pretty in the Champions League spots. Regis Le Bris may end up being grateful to bank so many early points, as he could be without as many as nine players next month, should all of his AFCON-eligible stars be called up by their respective nations. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Wolves are battling for their Premier League future and could see five players head away for the festive period, while Crystal Palace, who have a busy schedule given their European commitments, could see four players jet out. Nottingham Forest also have European football to juggle and could see three players depart, as will Manchester United, with summer signing Bryan Mbeumo among their trio of potential first-team absentees. At the top of the table, champions Liverpool will have to make do without the talismanic Mohamed Salah, while Manchester City are likely to see Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri called up by Egypt and Algeria, respectively.

And while some teams will be bracing themselves for the loss of key players, there's a handful of sides at the top and the bottom who don't have to worry about losing any players. Leaders Arsenal won't have any departures next month, nor will Chelsea. Leeds United's survival hopes will also be boosted by the fact they will not lose any key personnel for the crucial festive period. Ghana are the biggest name to miss out on qualification for the tournament and that's good news for the likes of Bournemouth who will not be missing Antoine Semenyo, while Spurs don't have to worry about Mohammed Kudus taking a month out of their Premier League campaign. Brighton can also continue to call on Yankuba Minteh after Gambia failed to qualify, while Guinea-Bissau missing out is good news for Everton, as forward Beto will remain on Merseyside. For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and Leeds Live among others and worked at Four Four Two throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

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