Leading stars such as Mohamed Salah are leaving Premier League action to contest the Africa Cup of Nations over the coming month.

Coach Emerse Fae has defended several contentious squad decisions as Ivory Coast attempt to become the first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) holders to defend the title since Egypt did so 15 years ago. Since Egypt defeated Ghana in the 2010 final, there have been eight AFCON tournaments that produced seven different winning nations.

The new deadline, which was originally set for December 8, allows players to play an additional week of fixtures for their clubs.

Vladimir Petkovic officially announces his squad for AFCON 2025! (Official)Algeria has officially unveiled its squad for AFCON 2025 in

Players heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations should depart with the blessing of their respective clubs according to Everton manager David Moyes, but his viewpoint might not be shared by rivals who face weeks without some of their top names.

Angola have suffered a big blow ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations opener against Bafana Bafana. The Palancas Negras confirmed their final squad a week ago, with new coach Patrice Beaumelle looking to get off to a good start in the group stages.

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Tolu Arokodare and Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye were the surprise exclusions as Nigeria pruned their 54-strong provisional Africa Cup of Nations squad to a final 28.

With Matthijs de Ligt ruled out with a back injury and Harry Maguire still sidelined, if Mazraoui is not available, it would mean 20-year-old Leny Yoro lining up alongside 19-year-old Ayden Heaven in a very inexperienced defence given the only other options are Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez, who are both left-footed.

How many millions is the Cameroon squad worth at AFCON 2025Cameroon/@BBCCameroon head coach David Pagou has unveiled the list of 28 players who will take part inthe Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON