The mid-season Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 is looming, and Premier League managers are quietly bracing for its disruption. With the tournament kicking off in Morocco on December 21—just four days before Christmas—the financial ripple effect is finally coming into view. Teams could lose not only key players but also sizable chunks of their squads’ market value at a time when depth can determine a season’s outcome.
From title challengers at risk of missing top forwards to mid-table outfits built around influential African midfielders and defenders, the potential absences span a broad spectrum and come with real costs. Using Transfermarkt’s market values as a benchmark, the impact isn’t uniform; some clubs stand to lose far more than others. The analysis highlights how much market value each Premier League team could shed to AFCON 2025, and what January plans might look like if continental tournaments shape squad decisions as much as the transfer window itself.
How AFCON could affect each Premier League club
Manchester United faces the largest potential value drop. Cameroonian Bryan Mbeumo (€75m), Ivorian Amad Diallo (€50m), and Moroccan Noussair Mazraoui (€22m) together represent €147m of talent that will be unavailable. Losing Mbeumo and Diallo would also remove essentially the entire right-sided attacking threat that has been one of United’s strongest attacking outlets this season. In second place is Manchester City, where Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush (€65m) and Algerian full-back Rayan Aït-Nouri (€40m) are set to be sidelined, though neither has been a regular starter this season.
Sunderland ranks third, potentially the most affected Premier League club this AFCON period. Up to six players could be missing, totaling €92m in market value. Fulham follow in fourth with three unavailable players worth €63m combined. Brighton, led by midfielder Carlos Baleba, sit fifth with Baleba alone valued at €60m. Although the defending champions Liverpool are only 11th in the projected impact, they stand to lose star Mohamed Salah (€30m) to Egypt’s AFCON duties. Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United, AFC Bournemouth, and Leeds United are among the clubs expected to be least affected, as none of their players are slated to participate in this edition of AFCON.
Controversy and discussion prompts
- Do you think the financial impact captured by market values accurately reflects a team’s true on-pitch disruption, or are there intangible effects (tactical balance, locker room dynamics) that aren’t as neatly quantified?
- Which club do you believe will compensate most effectively during AFCON with smart rotations and targeted signings, and why?
- If you could reimagine AFCON scheduling to minimize Premier League disruption, what would you adjust—dates, player eligibility, or squad rules?
Would you like a deeper breakdown per club, including potential replacement options and tactical implications for formations during AFCON?
