Liverpool will await the verdict from FIFA before any final decision is made on Mohamed Salah‘s departure to the Africa Cup of Nations, according to sources in Egypt.
Salah will captain Egypt at a mid-season AFCON in Morocco, with the tournament kicking off on December 21 and concluding on January 18.
Participation in the group stage alone with guarantee an absence of at least three games for Liverpool’s highest-paid player of all time, but his time away is likely to be extended further.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has decided to begin preparations with a training camp from December 1, along with a friendly against Nigeria on December 7 – and is hopeful for the involvement of both Salah and Man City‘s Omar Marmoush.
Egypt FA contact Liverpool over releasing Mo Salah
Mohamed Salah Egypt (Sebo47 / Alamy Stock Photo)
According to winwin‘s Ismail Mahmoud, Egyptian FA president Hani Abu Rida has been in contact with Liverpool and Man City to request an early release.
However both clubs are looking to hold onto their players until after their fixtures against Brighton (Dec 13) and Crystal Palace (Dec 14) respectively.
They are left to await a response from FIFA regarding the mandatory release date for players involved at AFCON, which is expected to be two weeks before a tournament begins.
That would mean December 8 and if enforced would see Salah miss Liverpool’s clashes with Inter Milan (Dec 9) and Brighton (Dec 13) along – at least – with the three fixtures that overlap the group stage.
Egypt will travel to Morocco on December 17 before taking on Zimbabwe (Dec 22), South Africa (Dec 26) and Angola (Dec 29) in Group B.
How many games Salah could miss due to AFCON
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, April 27, 2025: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, draped in a flag of Egypt, celebrates with supporters after winning the League Title after the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 5-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
If Salah is required to travel early and Hassan’s side go all the way to the final or a third-placed playoff, he could feasibly miss as many as nine games for Liverpool:
• Likely earliest release date: December 8
• Inter Milan (A) – Champions League – December 9
• Brighton (H) – Premier League – December 13
• Previously expected release date: December 14
• Tottenham (A) – Premier League – December 20
• Wolves (H) – Premier League – December 27
• AFCON Group Stage Ends – December 29
• Leeds (H) – Premier League – January 1
• AFCON Round of 16 – January 3/4/5
• Fulham (A) – Premier League – January 4
• Arsenal (A) – Premier League – January 8
• AFCON Quarter-Finals – January 9/10
• AFCON Semi-Finals: January 14
• Burnley (H) – Premier League – January 17
• AFCON Final: January 18
• Marseille (A) – Champions League – January 21
Salah has been in hit-and-miss form so far this season and has scored just twice in his last 12 games for Liverpool, including 11 appearances in the Reds’ miserable run of nine defeats in 12.
However his absence would undoubtedly be felt, particularly as Arne Slot has shown little faith in his potential replacements Federico Chiesa and Jeremie Frimpong, the latter of whom is currently injured.