Premier League teams affected the most by AFCON 2025: Sunderland lead the list, Man United follow

With less than 48 hours to go before AFCON officially kicks off in Morocco, clubs have entered the final stage of preparation ahead of the tournament. This year, the Premier League has 32 players selected for AFCON. Six teams have no players involved in the tournament: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Leeds and Newcastle.

However, Sunderland are the most affected team at this tournament, with six players involved, accounting for a combined 4,412 minutes and 61 Premier League appearances this season. These players have played an important role, helping Sunderland collect 26 points after 16 matches and currently sit inside the top 10.

Burnley, Fulham and Man United will each lose three players to the tournament, but Man United appear to be the most impacted. Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui are all key players in Ruben Amorim’s system. Mbeumo, alongside Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha, has helped create a strong attacking unit. Amad is an almost irreplaceable right wing-back, while Mazraoui has been impressive as the right centre-back in a back three. With all three absent, United’s overall cohesion is likely to suffer.

Among other notable absences, Tottenham will miss Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma, West Ham will be without Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diouf, Man City lose Omar Marmoush, and Liverpool will be without Mohamed Salah. However, these clubs have already prepared for these situations, so the impact is expected to be more manageable.

AFCON will run from 21 December 2025 to 19 January 2026, ending with the final. If a player’s national team reaches the final, they will miss at least six Premier League matches, from gameweek 17 to at least gameweek 22. If their team is eliminated in the group stage, they will still miss at least four matches, as the group stage ends on 1 January, while the final fixture of gameweek 20 will be played on 5 January.

Gameweek 17 in the Premier League will start tomorrow at 7:30 PM (GMT+7) with Newcastle taking on Chelsea. On Sunday, the spotlight will be on Villa Park, where Aston Villa face Man United.