'AFCON 2025 Schedule Will Affect African Players in Europe': Emmanuel Agyemang Laments

• Emmanuel Agyemang Badu has reacted to the newly confirmed dates for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco
• The biennial continental tournament will be held from December 2025 to January 2026 in the North African nation
• The former Ghana international believes African players abroad will be affected by the new schedule for the AFCON

Former Ghana midfielder, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, believes the dates for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco will have a significant impact on African players in Europe.

Last week, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the tournament will be played from December 2025 to January 2026, instead of the usual January to February.

The dates for the tournament became a controversial topic, with reports emerging that CAF planned on postponing the competition due to the scheduling of the FIFA Club World Cup.

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The continent's governing body rubbished those reports before an Executive Committee meeting last Friday.

Agyemang-Badu, who played at several AFCON campaigns and was a member of the Ghana team that finished second in Angola in 2010, believes African players will struggle within those new dates.

"It's a very difficult situation but this is our job. This is the kind of job we want to do," he told Joy Sports.

"You need to be there and represent your country. You need to make yourself proud, your country proud, so whenever you get the call-up whether it's Christmas time, whether the European club will worry us, you just need to come and do the job for your country."

Some European clubs have been reluctant to release their players for AFCON and December is usually a busy period for clubs, especially in the Premier League.

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"It's just unfortunate but we need to abide with it and just go with it. I hope it will not repeat itself because it will bring a lot of chaos for the players," he added.

The draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will be held on July 4 in Johannesburg, as reported by the BBC.

ACON 2025 dates announced by CAF

Sports Brief also reported that the next AFCON will be played in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, CAF president, Patrice Motsepe, said on Friday.

The African football body held a virtual executive committee meeting at their headquarters in Cairo last week to confirm dates for the biennial continental tournament.