The AFCON 2025 is just six days before the big kick-off between the host Morocco and Comoros.
Coaches are almost done with their squad list submission, as African players who are eligible for their countries have learned their fate.
The European top 5 leagues are laden with African stars. Teams, the European Club Association, team owners and pundits have all criticised the timing of the competition because it is always played in the middle of the season.
31 players from the Premier League are to represent their nations, with Sunderland the team to lose the highest number of players. The Black Cats, who have surprised football fans of the EPL, will lose six players: Talbi, Diarra, Reinildo, Traore, Masuaku and Sadiki.
Manchester United, Fulham and Burnley will lose three players each, with Nottingham Forest, Everton, Manchester City, Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Wolverhampton and Crystal Palace all losing two players each.
Brighton will lose Carlos Baleba to Cameroon, while Arsenal, Newcastle United, Liverpool, Leeds United, Aston Villa and Chelsea will not lose any player to the tournament.
Complete list of Premier League players heading to the Africa Cup of Nations
Sunderland — 6
Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco)
Habib Diarra (Senegal)
Reinildo (Mozambique)
Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso)
Arthur Masuaku (D.R. Congo)
Noah Sadiki (D.R. Congo)
Manchester United — 3
Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon)
Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast)
Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco)
Fulham — 3
Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)
Calvin Bassey (Nigeria)
Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria)
Burnley — 3
Axel Tuanzebe (D.R. Congo)
Lyle Foster (South Africa)
Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia)
Nottingham Forest — 2
Ibrahim Sangaré (Ivory Coast)
Willy Boly (Ivory Coast)
Everton — 2
Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal)
Idrissa Gueye (Senegal)
Brentford — 2
Dango Ouattara (Ivory Coast)
Frank Onyeka (Nigeria)
Manchester City — 2
Omar Marmoush (Egypt)
Rayan Aït-Nouri (Algeria)
Tottenham — 2
Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)
Yves Bissouma (Mali)
West Ham United — 2
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (D.R.Congo)
El Hadji Malick Diouf (Senegal)
Wolves — 2
Tawanda Chirewa (Zimbabwe)
Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast)
Crystal Palace — 2
Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal)
Christantus Uche (Nigeria)
Brighton — 1
Carlos Baleba (Cameroon)
