Liverpool, Man Utd Receive Huge AFCON Boost With FIFA Ruling

Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo and Mohamed Salah are among the star players heading to AFCON.

Manchester United and Liverpool players have been given another game with their clubs. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Joe Prior/Visionhaus/Getty Images

FIFA have pushed back the deadline for clubs to release players ahead of this winter’s Africa Cup of Nations, giving the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United at least one more game with their stars from the continent.

The original timeline demanded that all eligible players be allowed to join up with their countries from Monday, Dec. 8. As Liverpool manager Arne Slot confirmed this week, that date has been shunted back seven days to the following Monday, Dec. 15.

Morocco will serve as the stage for the latest iteration of AFCON. The 2022 World Cup semifinalists are also the swollen favourites to win a competition which begins with their group stage clash against Comoros on Sunday, Dec. 21. The 24 nations are all guaranteed at least three of these first-round fixtures, which don’t conclude until the end of December.

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Key AFCON Dates

The AFCON trophy is up for grabs this winter. | FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

AFCON Tournament Status	Time Span
Release Date	Dec. 15, 2025
Group Stage	Dec. 21—Dec. 31, 2025
Round of 16	Jan. 3—Jan. 5, 2026
Quarterfinals	Jan. 9—Jan. 10, 2026
Semifinals	Jan. 14, 2026
Third-place Playoff	Jan. 17, 2026
Final	Jan. 18, 2026

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From a Liverpool point of view, the delayed deadline entitles the defending champions to two more games from Mohamed Salah—even if his position in the team has come under question.

The Egypt captain would previously have been forced to leave Merseyside before next Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Inter. Given the Reds have already lost two of their first five European fixtures this season—twice as many compared to the 2024–25 league phase—avoiding a depleted squad could be crucial.

Salah will also theoretically be available for the visit from an in-form Brighton & Hove Albion side on Dec. 13. The Seagulls have been a favourable foe for Liverpool’s forward over the years, either scoring or assisting 16 goals in as many Premier League games against Brighton.

Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers are guaranteed to face Salah-less versions of Liverpool—which may not be quite the blow of years gone by, just ask West Ham—while his involvement against Leeds at Elland Road on New Year’s Day is uncertain. Should Egypt make it to the semifinals, and thereby qualifying for at least the third-place playoff on Jan. 17, 2025, Salah would miss as many as seven club games.

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Liverpool Winter Fixtures

Mohamed Salah is set to link up with Egypt next month. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Date	Opponent
Wednesday, Dec. 3	Sunderland (H)
Saturday, Dec. 6	Leeds (A)
Tuesday, Dec. 9	Inter (A)
Saturday, Dec. 13	Brighton (H)
Saturday, Dec. 20	Tottenham (A)
Saturday, Dec. 27	Wolves (H)
Thursday, Jan. 1	Leeds (H)
Sunday, Jan. 4	Burnley (H)
Thursday, Jan. 8	Arsenal (A)
w/o Saturday, Jan. 10	TBD
Saturday, Jan. 17	Burnley (H)
Wednesday, Jan. 21	Marseille (A)
Saturday, Jan. 24	Bournemouth (A)

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Manchester United are even more heavily impacted by AFCON. While Liverpool will only be missing Salah, Ruben Amorim will have to do without Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast) and Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco).

That trio will now be available to face Wolves on Monday, Dec. 8 due to the shifted timeline, but it remains to be seen if their nations will force them to skip United’s visit from Bournemouth, which falls exactly on the deadline of Dec. 15. Amorim may be inclined to make the most of this contingent before the tournament gets underway.

After preparing for the continental jamboree with 18 consecutive victories, Mazraoui’s host nation are expected to romp to the final, ruling him out for as many as eight games.

Mbeumo and Amad face off in the same group, but the top two go through to the knockout stages, as well as four of the six third-placed teams.

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Man Utd Winter Fixtures

Bryan Mbeumo is enjoying life at Man Utd. | James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images

Date	Opponent
Thursday, Dec. 4	West Ham (H)
Monday, Dec. 8	Wolves (A)
Monday, Dec. 15	Bournemouth (H)
Sunday, Dec. 21	Aston Villa (A)
Friday, Dec. 26	Newcastle (H)
Tuesday, Dec. 30	Wolves (H)
Sunday, Jan. 4	Leeds (A)
Wednesday, Jan. 7	Burnley (A)
w/o Saturday, Jan. 10	TBD
Saturday, Jan. 17	Man City (H)
Sunday, Jan. 25	Arsenal (A)

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