The African Cup of Nations, taking place in Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11, will deprive the top five European leagues of 226 African players, who will be with their national teams during this tournament and absent from their clubs during this time. The tournament features 24 teams divided into 6 groups, each consisting of 4 teams.
European leagues will continue to compete during the same period as the African Cup of Nations, as well as the Asian Cup, which will occur from January 12 to February 10. However, the number of Asian players in Europe is lower compared to their African counterparts. These players will miss 4 to 5 rounds of fixtures in the European leagues coinciding with the continental tournament.
According to the "One Football" website, Ligue 1 will be the most affected among the top five major European leagues, with the possibility of 88 African players missing from their clubs. The Premier League follows in second place, losing 48 players, then Serie A with 37 players, La Liga with 27 players, and the Bundesliga with 26 players.
French club Metz will be the hardest hit in Europe, missing 11 international players during this period. Next is English club Nottingham Forest, which could be without up to 7 players, and German club Bayer Leverkusen will be third, losing 5 African players during the same time.
