AFCON 2025 set to disrupt Serie A: Up to 48 Players could miss a month
The Africa Cup of Nations is about to shake up Serie A in a big way. With the tournament rescheduled for December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026 and set to take place in Morocco, Italian clubs are bracing for a month-long stretch without some of their most important players.
AFCON was originally planned for June, but the shift into the winter window now places it right in the middle of European league action. For Serie A sides, that means navigating a crucial phase of the season while key players are away. In total, 48 players across the league are eligible for call-ups, a figure that would have been even higher if Ghana had qualified.
Among the big clubs, Juventus, Inter, and Milan will be spared (with Bennacer already out of Milan’s plans). Napoli, meanwhile, will only lose one major piece: midfielder Frank Anguissa. The clubs hit hardest appear to be Udinese, Lecce, and Torino, each with several potential departures.
Below is the breakdown of every eligible player by national team:
Players Eligible for AFCON 2025 in Serie A
Morocco
Neil El Aynaoui (Roma), Zakaria Aboukhlal (Torino), Reda Belahyane (Lazio), Amir Richardson (Fiorentina), Youssef Maleh (Lecce), Walid Cheddira (Sassuolo), Abdou Harroui (Verona), Abdelhamid Sabiri (Fiorentina), Adam Masina (Torino).
Ivory Coast
Evan Ndicka (Roma), Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta), Maxwel Cornet (Genoa), Vakoun Bayo (Udinese), Christian Kouame (Fiorentina), Hassane Kamara (Udinese), Christ-Owen Kouassi (Lecce), Konan N’Dri (Lecce), Junior Ajayi (Verona).
Senegal
Assane Diao (Como), Boulaye Dia (Lazio), Mikayil Faye (Cremonese), Abdoulaye Ndiaye (Parma), Idrissa Gueye (Udinese), Cheikh Niasse (Verona).
Nigeria
Ademola Lookman (Atalanta), Gift Orban (Verona), Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Lazio), Maduka Okoye (Udinese), David Okereke (Cremonese), Ebenezer Akinsanmiro (Pisa).
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Cameroon
Frank Anguissa (Napoli), Faris Moumbagna (Cremonese), Enzo Ebosse (Verona), Jean Onana (Genoa).
Algeria
Ismael Bennacer (Milan), Rafik Belghali (Verona), Mehdi Leris (Pisa), Mohamed Fares (Lazio).
Angola
M'Bala Nzola (Pisa), Zito Luvumbo (Cagliari), Kialonda Gaspar (Lecce), Rui Modesto (Udinese).
Mali
Lassana Coulibaly (Lecce), Woyo Coulibaly (Sassuolo), Coli Saco (Napoli).
Zimbabwe
Jordan Zemura (Udinese).
Equatorial Guinea
Saul Coco (Torino).
Zambia
Lameck Banda (Lecce).
SportsLigue