138 players from the five major leagues have been called up for the Africa Cup of Nations! Which team faces the biggest challenge?

By Han Bing The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations began in Morocco on December 21, featuring 138 players from the five top European leagues. Ligue 1 leads with 52 players, followed by the Premier League with 33, Serie A with 20, Bundesliga with 17, and La Liga with 16. The increasing number of high-priced African players in recent years has caused the Africa Cup's effect on the Premier League to exceed even that on Ligue 1, which has the largest number of African Cup participants.

Among the 24 players valued at 30 million euros or more in this Africa Cup, the Premier League accounts for 11, making up nearly half. Although the highest-valued player is Ashraf from Paris Saint-Germain (80 million), five of the top seven come from the Premier League, including Manchester United’s Mbemou (75 million), Diallo (50 million), Manchester City’s Malmoush (65 million), Brighton’s Baleba (60 million), and Everton’s Ndiaye (45 million).

Sunderland has as many as six players called up, making it the club most affected by the Africa Cup: midfielder Sadiki (Democratic Republic of Congo) started all 16 Premier League matches, playing full time in 14; left-back Reinildo (Mozambique) would have matched Sadiki’s minutes if not for a four-match suspension due to a red card; wingers Talbi (Morocco) and Traore (Burkina Faso), with 2 goals and 2 assists, are regular rotation starters; additionally, Masuka (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Diallo (Senegal) have also been summoned by their national teams.

Sunderland, a dark horse competing for European qualification, will miss at least five matches due to the Africa Cup. The goalless draw at home against 10th-placed Brighton on December 20 marked the beginning. Following that, Sunderland faces Leeds, Manchester City, Tottenham, and Brentford, hoping key players Sadiki and Reinildo return early.

Manchester United, Fulham, and Burnley each have three players selected for the Africa Cup. Mbemou is United’s top scorer, Diallo provides strong assists from the wing, and Mazraoui is a key central defender in the back three. Manchester United, inconsistent in form, lost last Sunday with three players absent against Aston Villa, who were hardly affected by the Africa Cup. Subsequently, the Premier League winter schedule sees four matches where both attack and defense lack key players, making outcomes uncertain. Everton misses joint top scorer Ndiaye and key midfielder Gueye (Senegal), Brighton lacks main midfielder Baleba (Cameroon), and in the next 12 days, four Premier League matches against relegation-threatened teams will severely test their scoring ability.

Among relegation-threatened teams, Burnley is missing key center-back Tuanzebe (Democratic Republic of Congo), attacking midfielder Hannibal (Tunisia), and striker Mebri (South Africa). Fulham is without defenders Bassi, and attackers Chukwuemeka and Iwobi (Nigeria). West Ham lost both starting full-backs Diouf and Wan-Bissaka, while Wolves are missing key defender Amadou (Ivory Coast), making the relegation battle even more intense.

Other Premier League teams are less affected: Manchester City’s Malmoush (Egypt), Aston Villa’s Gassan (Ivory Coast), Tottenham’s Bissouma (Mali), and Sall (Senegal) are not regular starters. Arsenal, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Leeds, and Newcastle have no players in the Africa Cup. Last weekend, except for Tottenham’s loss to Liverpool, other teams secured points smoothly. Although Liverpool lost Salah, coach Klopp has benched him for four consecutive matches, and the team has adapted well without the Egyptian star.

Although Ligue 1 clubs have many players called up, the distribution is relatively even, with at least one player participating from 18 teams. Among the seven Ligue 1 clubs with four players each, only Nice and Lorient have three key players involved, while the other five teams have at most two key absences. Paris Saint-Germain has only young Mbaye besides Ashraf called up, and title rivals Lens and Marseille have few absences, so PSG must remain cautious.

Additionally, eight teams from the five major leagues have four players in the Africa Cup. Except for Bundesliga’s Leverkusen, the other seven are from Ligue 1. Leverkusen misses key center-back Tapsoba, attacking midfielder Massa, forwards Ben Sesil and Koufaine; Bayern lacks forward Jackson; RB Leipzig and Dortmund are missing key center-backs Haidara and Bensebaini respectively. However, since the Bundesliga restarts only on January 11, the Africa Cup’s impact is minimal.

Other top teams from the big three leagues are minimally affected: Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Napoli have no players called up, and Real Madrid’s Brahim is not a starter. Villarreal lost key defensive midfielder Pape Gueye and dropped to fourth after losing at home to Barcelona last weekend, so they may lose points during the Africa Cup. Serie A’s worst hit is Atalanta, missing key center-back Kossounou and forward Lookman, which will affect at least the next four Serie A matches.

Beyond the five major leagues, the Turkish Super League (21 players), Saudi Pro League (15 players), and Portuguese Primeira Liga (14 players) have the most players called up for the Africa Cup among mainstream leagues. Galatasaray is missing top scorer Osimhen, defensive midfielder Lemina, and left-back Jacobs; Fenerbahce lost forwards En-Nesyri and Nene; Besiktas is without defensive midfielder Ndiaye and striker Toure. However, since the Turkish winter transfer window only closes on January 17, the league is largely unaffected.

The four major Saudi Pro League clubs are significantly impacted: Al Hilal lacks starting goalkeeper Bounou and defender Koulibaly; Al Nassr is missing key winger Mane; Al Ittihad has three players absent (goalkeeper Mendy, midfielder Kessi, and winger Mahrez). Despite this, the Saudi League has six rounds during the Africa Cup period, and league leaders Al Nassr are likely to extend their advantage.