Image Credits: Imago Images
The Africa Cup of Nations in Morrocco is fast approaching, and with it comes the inevitable mid-season disruption for Premier League clubs with African stars on their books
For Liverpool, that means a prolonged period without talisman Mohamed Salah – although exactly when the Egyptian departs has remained a debate.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has arranged a warm-up friendly against Nigeria, scheduled for December 14 at Cairo International Stadium, as part of the Pharaohs’ preparations for AFCON 2025.
Yet both Liverpool and Manchester City are keen to hold onto their Egyptian internationals, Salah and Omar Marmoush respectively, for league fixtures on December 13 and 14.
Liverpool face Brighton at Anfield on December 13, while Manchester City host Crystal Palace the following day.
However, it seems that Salah will be called up long before then.
According to WinWinSports, the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), the governing body for African football, has asked all participating nations to ask clubs to allow their players to join their national teams by December 8, 2025.
They cite FIFA regulations; national teams are entitled to call up players 14 days before the start of a major tournament.
The organizing committee for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has also instructed all participating teams to arrive in Morocco at least five days prior to their opening match, aiming to avoid any scheduling issues or confusion surrounding the tournament fixtures.
With AFCON kicking off on December 21, that release date falls on December 8 – right in the middle of the hectic Premier League festive schedule and exactly what CAF have now requested.
Depending on how the Reds advance in Cup competitions as well as how Egypt does at the tournament, Salah could end up missing as many as 10 games for the Reds this term.
Egypt are in Group B alongside South Africa, Angola, and Zimbabwe. Their confirmed group stage matches are:
December 22, 2025: Egypt vs Zimbabwe (6pm local time)
December 26, 2025: Egypt vs South Africa (6pm local time)
December 29, 2025: Angola vs Egypt (8:30pm local time)
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