Next Africa Cup of Nations finals to start in December 2025

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that the next Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals, originally set for mid-2025, will now be held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026. This six-month postponement is due to the introduction of FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup, featuring 32 teams, which will take place in the United States in June and July 2025.

Morocco, the host of Afcon 2025, was initially expected to stage the tournament in the summer. However, CAF opted for the schedule shift to avoid overlapping with FIFA’s event. In addition, CAF has postponed the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations by a year, with the tournament now scheduled for July 5-26, 2024, also in Morocco.

The decision on the dates for these tournaments has been long-awaited, as CAF faced challenges juggling the congested international football calendar. CAF President Patrice Motsepe acknowledged the complexities in determining the new dates, citing difficult discussions with multiple stakeholders involved in both international and domestic competitions.

“CAF is committed to safeguarding the interests of African players competing in clubs across Europe and the world. We are also focused on fostering positive relationships with other football organizations, including FIFA,” Motsepe stated.

The Afcon tournament often presents a challenge for African players based in Europe, who face the dilemma of choosing between club duties and representing their national teams. CAF had previously attempted to resolve this issue by moving the tournament to the middle of the year, starting in 2019. However, since then, the finals in both Cameroon and Ivory Coast were held in January, reverting back to the earlier schedule.

For the 2025 tournament, the shift to a December start is intended to prevent any conflict with the European Champions League. Originally, Morocco aimed to use the summer Afcon to boost its tourism industry and showcase its capability ahead of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. Now, the finals will be held in the winter months.

Qualification matches for the 2025 Cup of Nations are scheduled to take place in the upcoming international windows of September, October, and November 2024. Following the conclusion of these matches, the 24 teams that qualify for the tournament will have to wait more than a year before the finals begin.