The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), originally slated to take place in Morocco, has been rescheduled to January 2026.
The tournament will be delayed by six months due to a clash with the expanded 32-team Club World Cup. Initially scheduled for June, the Club World Cup is set to be held in the United States from June 15 to July 13.
Veron Mosengo-Omba, CAF’s general secretary, informed the BBC that AFCON would now take place in early 2026, acknowledging the significant scheduling conflicts.
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Concerns regarding player welfare have been raised, with doubts about the feasibility of players participating in both the Club World Cup and AFCON consecutively.
Mosengo-Omba emphasized the need to prioritize players’ interests when selecting dates, stating, “For the men, we need to make sure that the dates we choose will be in the interests of the players. We need to balance different aspects and discuss with our partners before finalizing the dates. Scheduling is a nightmare for everybody.”