Why is the Africa Cup of Nations taking place over Christmas? | OneFootball

The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco on Sunday 21 December, with the final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat to be played on Sunday 18 January - far earlier than when held at this time of the calendar than in previous years.

The 35th edition of the biennial tournament was initially set to be played in July and August 2025, in order to reduce disruption with the European football season.

But the timing of the Africa Cup of Nations is, once again, a talking point - which is unfair to the tournament itself as it becomes squeezed by club football’s endless expansion.

The Africa Cup of Nations was moved to begin in December in order to make room for the expanded Club World Cup, which featured 32 teams for the first time and took place in the United States between June and July earlier this year.

On the other side, the conclusion of the new Champions League league phase in January, which features an additional two matches, forced an earlier start to Afcon and for the tournament to be played over Christmas and the New Year period for the first time.

Many of the teams are unhappy - particularly with the sudden change to the date for clubs to release their players for the tournament, reduced by seven days to fall less than a week before the opening game.

As a result, coaches have seen key preparation time cut but players could be sharp and ready to go, particularly those who are in European leagues. “Releasing a player on the 15th for an Afcon that kicks off on the 21st, it’s nonsense,” said Angola’s head coach Patrice Beaumelle.

A statement from Fifa said: “Following fruitful consultations led by Fifa with key stakeholders and, thanks to the spirit of solidarity demonstrated by CAF to reduce the impact on various parties, the Bureau of the Council has taken a decision in relation to the mandatory release of players for the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025, which will take place in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.

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(AP)

“In line with the same principle used for the Fifa World Cup 2022, the release period will be reduced by seven days and start on Monday, 15 December 2025.”

Morocco stepped up to host after Guinea was stripped of staging rights over concerns about infrastructure and facilities in the country.

The host cities are the capital Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, Marrakech, Fes and Tangier, with the tournament playing out in nine different stadiums.