Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Patrice Motsepe has confirmed that 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) dates is still undecided as it may clash with the FIFA Club World Cup.
CAF had in 2017 made a commitment to return to staging the tournament mid-year to avoid disputes with European clubs over releasing players in the middle of their season.
But FIFA’s new expanded club world cup format, which is scheduled to be held in the United States in June and July 2025, setting up a potential clash of dates with that year’s Afcon which will be hosted by Morocco.
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CAF President said, “We want the AFCON to take place when it is most favourable and convenient for the tournament. We are still engaging with FIFA about the dates.“
The timing of AFCON has become increasingly controversial, having been held in the first three months of the year from 1968 to 2017. But then it was staged mid-year in Egypt in 2019.
The 2021 finals in Cameroon were scheduled for early that year to avoid the rainy season in the country, and were then put back 12 months to 2022 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 2023 tournament was similarly shifted because of weather considerations in Ivory Coast.
Two African sides, Al Ahly of Egypt and Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca, have already qualified for the expanded Club World Cup. The national sides of both countries traditionally draw players from those clubs for international duty.
Is the 2023 Ivory coast AFCON special?
Speaking in Abidjan, Motsepe stated that he is confident this year’s AFCON will not see a repeat of the kind of tragedy which marred the last tournament in Cameroon where eight people were killed and dozens injured in a crush and stampede at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, prior to a last-16 match.
In a bid to escape such tragedy, the Ivorian government has invested over $1.5 billion in improving infrastructure in order to host the tournament for the first time since 1984.
That has included the construction of the 60,000-capacity Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium, on the northern outskirts of Abidjan, which will host Saturday’s opening game as well as the final on 11 February.
To ensure security, there will be around 17,000 police and soldiers deployed during the month-long tournament.
