The next Africa Cup is not scheduled to take place in winter as before, but in summer 2025. In addition to the Club World Cup, a second international tournament could then take place.
As “L’Equipe” reported on Tuesday (February 20, 2024), an “agreement in principle” had been reached between the African continental association CAF and the Moroccan Football Association. Accordingly, an association official responsible for organizing the tournament confirmed to the AFP news agency that the Africa Cup of Nations should take place in 2025 “in the summer, more precisely in July and August”.
Host Morocco had already made an announcement at the beginning of February during the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast that the next edition of the tournament would take place in the summer of 2025. However, CAF President Patrice Motsepe had not confirmed this.
According to “L’Equipe”, the world association FIFA, which will organize the first edition of the new, bloated Club World Cup with 32 teams, was also involved in the organizers’ vote next summer. According to AFP information, the African Cup will now take place from July 20th to August 16th or 17th, 2025.
Africa Cup of Nations and Club World Cup – two international tournaments in summer 2025?
This would mean the tournament is scheduled just a week after the end of the Club World Cup, which will be played in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025.
In recent years, there has been repeated criticism, particularly from European clubs, about the scheduling of the Africa Cup, which usually takes place every two years in January. The best African professionals are mostly employed in Europe – and are then unavailable to their clubs for several weeks in the middle of the season.
On the other hand, the strain on the players is likely to be even greater in the summer of 2025 if another tournament takes place after the Club World Cup. A number of top European clubs are set to take part in the expanded Club World Cup; for example, according to UEFA’s club coefficient, Borussia Dortmund could also be represented in the Bundesliga alongside FC Bayern.
Top African professionals, such as Dortmund’s Sebastien Haller, would then travel straight on to the Africa Cup after a possible start at the Club World Cup – and basically play through the summer.