FIFA has announced the release date for players participating in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), confirming they must join their national teams prior to the tournament.
This year’s event will be hosted in Morocco for the first time in 37 years, running from December 21 to January 18. Premier League clubs are expected to feel the impact of player absences, losing some of their key performers to international duty.
For Manchester City, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush will represent their countries, joining former City player Riyad Mahrez and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah for Algeria and Egypt, respectively.
The Egyptian national team has a rich history in AFCON, having won the title in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, and most recently in 2010. Under Hossam Hassan, Egypt qualified for the tournament without any defeats, leading Group C ahead of Botswana, Mauritania, and Cape Verde.
Algeria, which first competed in 1968 and won the title as hosts in 1990 and again in 2019 in Egypt, has also performed well historically, finishing second in 1980 and securing third place in 1984 and 1988.
As the tournament approaches, the opening match will feature hosts Morocco facing Comoros in Rabat, with FIFA setting December 15 as the deadline for players to depart for the competition.
Among the Premier League clubs, Sunderland will face the toughest challenge, expected to be without seven players, including five key starters. Meanwhile, Wolves, Nottingham Forest, and Crystal Palace will miss four players each.
In contrast, Manchester City will only lose two players, which is a positive situation compared to their rivals, Manchester United, who will be without three key contributors: Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui, and Amad Diallo.
However, the absence of Marmoush will place additional pressure on City’s attacking options, leaving Erling Haaland as the primary option up front, alongside the Egyptian attacker.
Since joining from Eintracht Frankfurt for £59 million in January, Marmoush has made an impact in England despite limited playing time in the 2025/26 season due to a knee injury sustained against Burkina Faso in October.
At 26 years old, he has netted nine goals in 37 total appearances for City, primarily coming on as a substitute, with his standout moment being a spectacular goal against Bournemouth last season, which earned Premier League Goal of the Season honors.
The Egyptian national team has already called Marmoush for a training camp where they faced Kuwait, with upcoming matches against the UAE and Jordan scheduled to sharpen their skills ahead of AFCON. They will also take on Nigeria in a friendly just a week prior to the competition. However, it’s been reported that City prefers to release Marmoush solely for the tournament, as they have a Premier League match against Crystal Palace on December 14 before he will be unavailable for up to ten games.