Former Ghana midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has expressed concerns over the scheduling of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, highlighting the challenges it poses for African players.
The tournament’s new dates, set between December 2025 and January 2026, were announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following an Executive Council meeting last Friday.
This timing forces top African players based in Europe to navigate between club commitments and missing the festive season with their families. “It’s a very difficult situation, but this is our job. This is the kind of job we want to do,” Agyemang-Badu shared with Joy Sports.
“You need to be there and represent your country, you need to make yourself proud, your country proud, so whenever you get the call-up, whether it’s Christmas time, whether the European club will worry us, you just need to come and do the job for your country.”
Originally slated for June/July 2025, the AFCON rescheduling was necessitated by Morocco hosting the expanded Club World Cup during that period. The proposed alternative of early 2026 was also untenable due to conflicts with the FIFA World Cup calendar.
Badu also called on CAF to prevent future scheduling conflicts, stating, “It’s just unfortunate, but we need to abide with it and just go with it. I hope it will not repeat itself because it will bring a lot of chaos for the players.”
Ivory Coast are the reigning champions of Africa after winning the delayed 2023 tournament on home soil in February 2024.
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