FIFA Extends AFCON 2025 Player Release Deadline

FIFA has extended the deadline for clubs to release players for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, allowing national teams to call up their squads only from December 15, one week before the tournament begins in Morocco. The 35th edition of Africa's premier international football competition starts on December 21, 2025, and runs through January 18, 2026, featuring 24 nations vying for the continent's top prize.

The decision provides relief to European clubs, particularly in the Premier League, which had raised concerns about losing key talent during the busy December schedule. Under the revised timeline, players remain available for domestic matches until mid-December, balancing club and international commitments. FIFA noted that the adjustment aims to accommodate the tournament's placement outside standard international breaks, a recurring issue in past editions that has sparked disputes over player availability.

Morocco, hosting the event for the first time since 1988, will open the tournament against Comoros in Rabat's 53,000-capacity Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah, which will also stage the final. The schedule shift to winter avoids overlap with FIFA's expanded Club...