Who are the FPL players called up?

As you no doubt know, the biennial Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is about to begin.

The 2025 edition of the tournament will start on December 21, and this will clash with the Premier League’s busiest time.

The deadline to name the final squad was December 11, although Algeria and Senegal delayed their announcements by two days.

In this article, we round up who’s leaving for their respective countries – and who’s not.

WHEN IS AFCON 2025?

AFCON will take place between Sunday 21 December 2025 And Sunday 18 January 2026.

It covers Gameweeks 17 to 22 in FPL:

A group stage exit could see players return as soon as Gameweek 20.

But those who qualify for the knockout stages will likely miss up to five Matchweeks, even if they are knocked out in the last 16.

Advancing to the semi-finals means having to miss six weeks of competition, because there is also a battle for third/fourth place to play for.

WHEN SHOULD PLAYERS REPORT TO THEIR COUNTRY?

The mandatory release day for players is Monday 15 December.

Therefore, most, perhaps all, AFCON-bound Premier League players will remain available for selection in Matchday 16 – and out thereafter.

On Friday, we hope to have clarification on the position of Manchester United and Bournemouth players. The two clubs face off at Old Trafford on Monday night.

AFCON 2025: PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS CALLED

Here is a club-by-club guide to which FPL assets are included in their country’s squad.

Bold letters indicate that players have been selected in their country’s final squad, while italics indicate that their country has not yet announced their AFCON line-up – but they are expected to be called up. As mentioned in the introduction, only Algeria and Senegal fall into the latter category.

NOT CALLED

A number of eligible players did not get the call.

Injuries affect Check Doucoure (£4.9 million), Chadi Riad (£4.0 million), Marshall Munet (£5.4 million), Successor of life (£4.7 million) and Taiwo Awoniyi (£5.2m) explains their absence.

And meanwhile Yoane warned (£7.3m) is back now, months out having effectively cost him his place in the DR Congo squad.

Several other players were not selected – and it is not surprising that this group of players struggled to make an impact at their respective clubs.

Correct Jackson Tchatchoua (£4.5 million), Evann Guess (£6.2 million), Simon Adindra (£5.0 million), Amen Adli (£5.4 million), Adam Aznou (£4.3 million), Christantus Uche (£5.5 million) and Three Arokadares (£5.4 million).

COUNTRY DOES NOT MEET QUALIFICATIONS

Lastly, you may have noticed the lack of mention of some famous African players in this article.

The reason is, their country did not even qualify for AFCON 2025.

Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and, most surprisingly, Ghana were among the countries that did not make it through the qualifiers.

Yankuba Minteh (£6.2 million), Beto (£5.1 million), Antoine Semenyo (£7.6 million) and Muhammad Jerusalem (£6.5m), among others, could stay at their clubs.