<p>Which highly-owned FPL picks are heading to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)?</p>
<p>FPL managers will be topped up to the maximum five free transfers in Gameweek 16 in order to navigate the mid-season tournament, with the final taking place just before Gameweek 23 &#8211; but which popular players are heading to AFCON?</p>
<p>We take a look at highly owned assets who will be affected, followed by a club-by-club list of those expected to travel to the tournament.</p>
<p>Check out our <strong><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-ultimate-guide-fpl-tips">Ultimate Guide to FPL</a> </strong>for all our best player articles and much more.</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Highly-owned FPL players affected by AFCON</h2>
<p>Below are some of the most popular FPL picks heading to the tournament, with Crystal Palace and Everton losing key members of their attack, while West Ham are set to be without both their starting full-backs</p>
<p>Full squad lists will be released prior to the tournament kick off, and we&#8217;ll keep this list updated:</p>
<p><strong>Mohamed Salah</strong> &#8211; Liverpool &#8211; Egypt</p>
<p><strong>Bryan Mbeumo</strong> &#8211; Manchester United &#8211; Cameroon</p>
<p><strong>Ismaila Sarr</strong> &#8211; Crystal Palace &#8211; Senegal</p>
<div id="attachment_75817" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-75817" class="wp-image-75817 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2244887878.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2244887878.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2244887878-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2244887878-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-75817" class="wp-caption-text">Ismaila Sarr. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Simon Adingra</strong> &#8211; Sunderland &#8211; Ivory Coast</p>
<p><strong>Aaron Wan-Bissaka</strong> &#8211; West Ham &#8211; DR Congo</p>
<p><strong>Iliman Ndіaye &#8211; </strong>Everton &#8211; Senegal</p>
<div id="attachment_73567" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73567" class="size-full wp-image-73567" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2226673259.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2226673259.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2226673259-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2226673259-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-73567" class="wp-caption-text">Iliman Ndiaye. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Amad </strong>&#8211; Manchester United &#8211; Ivory Coast</p>
<p><strong>Omar Marmoush</strong> &#8211; Manchester City &#8211; Egypt</p>
<p><strong>El Hadji Malick Diouf &#8211; </strong>West Ham &#8211; Senegal</p>
<div id="attachment_73722" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73722" class="size-full wp-image-73722" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Diouf-West-Ham.jpg" alt="El Hadji Malick Diouf. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Diouf-West-Ham.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Diouf-West-Ham-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Diouf-West-Ham-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-73722" class="wp-caption-text">El Hadji Malick Diouf. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Which African FPL picks are not going to AFCON?</h2>
<p>Some African players will not be heading to the tournament as a result of their nations not qualifying for the final stages.</p>
<ul>
<li>Antoine Semenyo &#8211; Bournemouth &#8211; Ghana</li>
<li>Mohammed Kudus &#8211; Spurs &#8211; Ghana</li>
<li>Yankuba Minteh &#8211; Brighton &#8211; Gambia</li>
<li>Beto &#8211; Everton &#8211; Guinea Bissau</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_75218" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-75218" class="size-full wp-image-75218" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2237704439.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="673" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2237704439.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2237704439-300x197.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2237704439-768x505.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-75218" class="wp-caption-text">Antoine Semenyo. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Full club-by-club list of affected players</h2>
<h4 data-start="118" data-end="138"><strong data-start="123" data-end="138">Bournemouth</strong></h4>
<p data-start="139" data-end="159">Amine Adli (Morocco)</p>
<h4 data-start="161" data-end="179"><strong data-start="166" data-end="179">Brentford</strong></h4>
<p data-start="180" data-end="234">Frank Onyeka (Nigeria)<br data-start="202" data-end="205" />Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso)</p>
<h4 data-start="236" data-end="253"><strong data-start="241" data-end="253">Brighton</strong></h4>
<p data-start="254" data-end="278">Carlos Baleba (Cameroon)</p>
<h4 data-start="280" data-end="296"><strong data-start="285" data-end="296">Burnley</strong></h4>
<p data-start="297" data-end="378">Lyle Foster (South Africa)<br data-start="323" data-end="326" />Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia)<br data-start="351" data-end="354" />Axel Tuanzebe (DR Congo)</p>
<h4 data-start="380" data-end="403"><strong data-start="385" data-end="403">Crystal Palace</strong></h4>
<p data-start="404" data-end="503">Cheick Doucoure (Mali)<br data-start="426" data-end="429" />Chadi Riad (Morocco)<br data-start="449" data-end="452" />Ismaila Sarr (Senegal)<br data-start="474" data-end="477" />Christantus Uche (Nigeria)</p>
<div id="attachment_74616" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-74616" class="size-full wp-image-74616" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sarr-Palace.jpg" alt="Ismaila Sarr. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sarr-Palace.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sarr-Palace-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sarr-Palace-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-74616" class="wp-caption-text">Ismaila Sarr. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4 data-start="505" data-end="521"><strong data-start="510" data-end="521">Everton</strong></h4>
<p data-start="522" data-end="571">Idrissa Gueye (Senegal)<br data-start="545" data-end="548" />Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal)</p>
<h4 data-start="573" data-end="588"><strong data-start="578" data-end="588">Fulham</strong></h4>
<p data-start="589" data-end="664">Calvin Bassey (Nigeria)<br data-start="612" data-end="615" />Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria)<br data-start="641" data-end="644" />Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)</p>
<h4 data-start="666" data-end="684"><strong data-start="671" data-end="684">Liverpool</strong></h4>
<p data-start="685" data-end="706">Mohamed Salah (Egypt)</p>
<div id="attachment_75221" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-75221" class="size-full wp-image-75221" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2236454010.jpg" alt="Mohamed Salah. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2236454010.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2236454010-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2236454010-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-75221" class="wp-caption-text">Mohamed Salah. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4 data-start="708" data-end="734"><strong data-start="713" data-end="734">Manchester United</strong></h4>
<p data-start="735" data-end="816">Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast)<br data-start="760" data-end="763" />Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco)<br data-start="790" data-end="793" />Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon)</p>
<h4 data-start="818" data-end="842"><strong data-start="823" data-end="842">Manchester City</strong></h4>
<p data-start="843" data-end="892">Rayan Ait-Nouri (Algeria)<br data-start="868" data-end="871" />Omar Marmoush (Egypt)</p>
<div id="attachment_74175" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-74175" class="size-full wp-image-74175" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2230759160.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2230759160.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2230759160-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2230759160-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-74175" class="wp-caption-text">Rayan Ait-Nouri. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4 data-start="894" data-end="919"><strong data-start="899" data-end="919">Newcastle United</strong></h4>
<p data-start="920" data-end="942">n/a</p>
<h4 data-start="944" data-end="970"><strong data-start="949" data-end="970">Nottingham Forest</strong></h4>
<p data-start="971" data-end="1048">Ola Aina (Nigeria)<br data-start="989" data-end="992" />Willy Boly (Ivory Coast)<br data-start="1016" data-end="1019" />Ibrahim Sangaré (Ivory Coast)</p>
<h4 data-start="1050" data-end="1064"><strong data-start="1055" data-end="1064">Spurs</strong></h4>
<p data-start="1065" data-end="1113">Yves Bissouma (Mali)<br data-start="1085" data-end="1088" />Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)</p>
<h4 data-start="1115" data-end="1134"><strong data-start="1120" data-end="1134">Sunderland</strong></h4>
<p data-start="1135" data-end="1392">Ahmed Abdullahi (Nigeria)<br data-start="1160" data-end="1163" />Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast)<br data-start="1190" data-end="1193" />Habib Diarra (Senegal)<br data-start="1215" data-end="1218" />Reinildo (Mozambique)<br data-start="1247" data-end="1250" />Arthur Masuaku (DR Congo)<br data-start="1275" data-end="1278" />Blondy Nna Noukeu (Cameroon)<br data-start="1306" data-end="1309" />Noah Sadiki (DR Congo)<br data-start="1331" data-end="1334" />Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco)<br data-start="1359" data-end="1362" />Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso)</p>
<div id="attachment_73411" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73411" class="wp-image-73411 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2226371802.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2226371802.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2226371802-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2226371802-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-73411" class="wp-caption-text">Simon Adingra. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4 data-start="1394" data-end="1411"><strong data-start="1399" data-end="1411">West Ham</strong></h4>
<p data-start="1412" data-end="1474">El Hadji Malick Diouf (Senegal)<br data-start="1443" data-end="1446" />Aaron Wan-Bissaka (DR Congo)</p>
<h4 data-start="1476" data-end="1491"><strong data-start="1481" data-end="1491">Wolves</strong></h4>
<p>Tolu Arokodare (Nigeria)<br />
Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast)<br data-start="1522" data-end="1525" />Tawanda Chirewa (Zimbabwe)<br data-start="1551" data-end="1554" />Marshall Munetsi (Zimbabwe)<br data-start="1581" data-end="1584" />Jackson Tchatchoua (Cameroon)</p>
<div id="attachment_71314" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-71314" class="size-full wp-image-71314" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Munetsi-Getty.jpg" alt="Marshall Munetsi. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Munetsi-Getty.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Munetsi-Getty-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Munetsi-Getty-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Munetsi-Getty-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-71314" class="wp-caption-text">Marshall Munetsi. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>When will Premier League players be out of action from?</h2>
<p>The tournament officially kicks off on December 21st, meaning that players involved in AFCON are set to miss Gameweek 17 to Gameweek 19 at a minimum, with Gameweek 16 also at risk as players join international training camps.</p>
<p>The knockout phase begins on January 3rd, with the quarters and semis kicking off on the 9th and 14th respectively &#8211; in FPL terms this period only spans two gameweeks (20 &amp; 21) due to an international break.</p>
<div id="attachment_74700" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-74700" class="size-full wp-image-74700" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-2228756103.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-2228756103.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-2228756103-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-2228756103-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-74700" class="wp-caption-text">Arne Slot will be without Mohamed Salah for several gameweeks. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Players whose sides make it to the final or the third-placed playoff will miss Gameweek 22, and have a relatively short turnaround with Gameweek 23 kicking off six days after the final.</p>
<p>There are some exceptional circumstances &#8211; Manchester United for example have requested a delayed departure for Bryan Mbeumo from the Cameroon FA, which would see the 26-year-old remain in England for Gameweeks 16 and 17.</p>
<p>Similar decisions surrounding pre-tournament training camps will have to be made where key players are involved, with Salah&#8217;s departure date another still to be confirmed.</p>
<div id="attachment_75054" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-75054" class="wp-image-75054 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2231897566.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2231897566.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2231897566-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2231897566-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-75054" class="wp-caption-text">Bryan Mbeumo, Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<h2>Which FPL players are likely to be out for longest?</h2>
<p>Morocco are both the hosts and the tournament favourites, having memorably reached a World Cup semi-final in 2022, but they don&#8217;t boast a significant FPL contingent.</p>
<p>Senegal and Egypt are both fancied, which could see two popular FPL midfielders go the distance in Ismalia Sarr and Mohamed Salah.</p>
<p><strong>Iliman Ndiaye </strong>and <strong>El Hadji Malick Diouf </strong>will line up for Senegal too, with both providing popular budget enablers so far this season.</p>
<p>Nigeria, Cameroon and Cote d&#8217;Ivore are also in the running, with all three represented by key players from Premier League sides &#8211; Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland are among those who could be heavily affected.</p>
<div id="attachment_75799" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-75799" class="size-full wp-image-75799" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Amad-Getty.jpg" alt="Amad. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="754" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Amad-Getty.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Amad-Getty-300x221.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Amad-Getty-768x566.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-75799" class="wp-caption-text">Amad. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
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Mohamed Salah celebrates his winner against Burnley. Picture by Getty Images

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