Morocco to Host Winter Africa Cup of Nations 2025, Sparking Concerns

FIFA’s scheduling of the new expanded FIFA Club World Cup, which will be played from June 15 to July 13 in the United States, has forced the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide, at the end of its Executive Committee meeting on June 21, that the final phase of the 2025 Morocco CAN will take place between December 21, 2025 and January 18, 2026. "We had understood that the CAN would not take place in June - July 2025. We were rather expecting it in January and February 2026. This is a bit surprising, as it is the first time it will be played at such dates. We would have liked it to be played in June-July, because at that time of year the weather is nice, there is a more festive atmosphere and many tourists, but FIFA has imposed its calendar, and we have to deal with it," comments Moroccan journalist Nassim El Kerf to Jeune Afrique.

The CAF also had to take into account the modification by UEFA of the format of its competitions (the Champions League and the Europa League) to retain these dates. Two matchdays of the league phase are scheduled between January 20 and 31, 2026. But these new dates, the new version of the Club World Cup, will have an impact not only on European clubs but also on the players. "A lot is demanded of the footballers," points out Belgian Paul Put, coach of Uganda, several of whose players play in Europe. "Playing a CAN at this time of year will deprive them of a winter break." Olivier Dall’Oglio, the coach of AS Saint-Étienne (Ligue 1), shares this view. He who is "used to letting the internationals who return from the CAN rest for about two weeks" will have a hard time doing so if things remain as they are. According to him, it is important "that they can recover from the competition, the travel and the change of continent."

"The ideal would be a CAN in June and July," says Nabil Neghiz, the assistant coach of Algeria. "After the end of the championships, the players can rest for a few days before preparing for the final phase. With a CAN starting on December 21, they will be chaining a major competition, without a break and without real preparation." To support his argument, he cites the case of several players, including Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi. He will play with Paris-SG the Club World Cup, the CAN with the Atlas Lions - automatically qualified - and probably the 2026 World Cup, in addition to the Ligue 1 championship, the Coupe de France and a European cup, in the space of a year. "International competitions are very physically and mentally demanding for the players. The more they play, the greater the risk of injury," Neghiz adds.