The Africa Cup of Nations will be held consecutively in 2027 and 2028, causing Premier League clubs to face significant difficulties.

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Morocco from December 22, 2025, to January 19, 2026, will see major European leagues lose their African internationals. Among these, Premier League teams will suffer the most. Those who follow the Premier League understand that the Christmas period and January are the most congested fixture times, key for competing for the championship, European spots, and avoiding relegation. Because of the intense heat in Africa during summer, the tournament is always held in winter, which unfortunately coincides with the European leagues’ ongoing matches, causing teams to be without their African stars.

In the past, the Copa America was held quite frequently, but now it has shifted to a four-year cycle, aligned with the European Championship. The Africa Cup of Nations is following suit; the African Football Confederation plans to make it a quadrennial event and introduce an African Nations League, similar to the UEFA Nations League.

However, before the Africa Cup switches to a four-year cycle, there will be two intense years, as the CAF plans to hold the tournament consecutively in 2027 and 2028. This means that during the winters of the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons, major European leagues will again lose their African key players. This situation will force Premier League clubs to carefully reconsider signing African players over the next three years, as the impact of back-to-back Africa Cups on teams is too significant...