As the Royal Moroccan Football Federation settled the debate over the hosting period for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), announcing its organization in the upcoming summer without specifying exact dates.
Discussions emerged regarding the possibility of a clash between Africa’s premier competition and the inaugural edition of the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, slated to be held in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025, serving as a preparatory trial a year before the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
A Trio of Coordination
A reliable source revealed to Hespress that the announcement by the Moroccan Football Federation to hold the Africa Cup of Nations in the summer remains normal and not groundbreaking news.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) had previously decided to change the tournament’s timing to the summer, while remaining flexible to accommodate requests from hosting countries to stage the event between January and February, a period known for relatively suitable weather conditions in some African countries, instead of June and July.
The same source added that the Moroccan Football Federation is in contact with CAF to finalize the dates for the competition in the summer, emphasizing that the African football governing body will coordinate with FIFA to find a suitable formula to preserve the attractiveness of the African schedule.
Flexibility of CAF
Ahmad Ahmad, the former president of CAF in 2018, broke the rule set by his predecessor, Issa Hayatou, by moving the Africa Cup of Nations to the summer starting from the 2019 edition in Egypt.
This decision was made in response to numerous requests from European clubs and football associations to align African competition schedules with those in Europe and avoid depriving many clubs of their top players in the middle of the football season.
FIFA’s Role
FIFA had previously rescheduled the Club World Cup 2021 in the UAE instead of Japan due to the spread of the coronavirus, scheduling it between February 3 and February 12, 2022. This decision sparked considerable debate in Egypt, as the Egyptian national team heavily relied on many Al Ahly players, who found themselves obligated to participate in the Club World Cup without their international teammates, leading to criticism and labeling the incident as a “scandal” by some African critics and observers.
