February 20 – Fears over possible saturation in next year’s international calendar appear to have been realised after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) reached agreement in principle for the 2025 African Cup of Nations to be played in July and August.
If confirmed it would mean Africa’s showpiece tournament taking place immediately after the expanded 32-team Club World Cup in June and July.
Earlier this month CAF president Patrice Motsepe refused to confirm the dates of the next Afcon which this year took place in January and February and is due next in Morocco.
But AFP says it has learned the tournament will be in July and August, potentially meaning draining back-to-back competitions for potentially scores of elite players just before the start of the European season and fuelling the debate about overkill and burnout.
On Monday a member of the Afcon competitions committee told AFP there was “an agreement in principle between CAF and the Moroccan Football Federation for the Afcon to be held during the summer, more precisely in July and August” in 2025.
“This agreement was found with the support of FIFA after talks that began several months ago and which intensified during the last edition which finished this month in Ivory Coast. The dates currently proposed are July 20-August 16 or 17.”
The last two Africa Cup of Nations were both pushed back from the original dates. The 2021 tournament, hosted by Cameroon, was played in January and February of 2022. The most recent edition had initially been planned for June and July last year but was also rescheduled because of weather concerns.
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