With the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) fast approaching, many of us will soon be faced with a few flagged stars in our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) squads.

Thankfully, we’ll all see our free transfer allowance topped up to the maximum of five in advance of the tournament commencing, meaning there needn’t be a mad rush to ditch the affected players quite yet.

But when the time comes, could it pay dividends to make a short-term investment in some differential players who might step up to replace their departed teammates during AFCON?

We explore that very question below.

• READ MORE: How to get the most out of the FPL Gameweek 16 transfer top-up

WHEN IS AFCON 2025?

First, a quick reminder of the state of play.

AFCON will take place between Sunday 21 December 2025 and Sunday 18 January 2026.

That covers Gameweeks 17 to 22 in FPL, with Gameweek 16 the point in time where we’ll all be given five free transfers – regardless of how much we have saved leading up to that round of fixtures – to help us out. 

That’s because clubs usually must release players a fortnight before continental competitions, meaning these international players may also miss Gameweek 16 unless any agreement is struck – possibly on a player-by-player basis – allowing them to arrive later.

Now, exiting in the group stage could mean players return as early as Gameweek 20, though it would be a quick turnaround for them to be involved.

However, anyone whose country makes it through to the knockout rounds could miss up to five Gameweeks, while making it to the semi-finals means they’ll miss six, as there’s a third/fourth-place play-off to contest, too.

• READ MORE: AFCON 2025: How many matches Salah, Wissa + Mbeumo will miss

Ghana have missed out on qualifying for the first time in two decades, meaning FPL managers with the likes of Antoine Semenyo (£8.1m) and Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) in their squads have fewer decisions to make this time.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United, meanwhile, are completely unaffected – but there will be a few notable absentees, whose replacements we’ll now discuss.

LIVERPOOL

He’s thus far faded considerably from last season’s dizzying FPL heights, but Mohamed Salah (£14.2m) has still started every Premier League game this term. He’s only been subbed once before the 90th minute, too.

So when the Egyptian star is away for AFCON, who can replace him?

Federico Chiesa (£6.4m) is one option, though Arne Slot evidently doesn’t fancy him very much. Despite his own versatility and Liverpool’s faltering attack, the Italian is yet to start a single match in 2025/26 aside from in the Carabao Cup.

What, then, about Jeremie Frimpong (£5.7m)?

The Dutch right-sider has endured an injury-hit start to life at Anfield following his summer arrival, and the time he has been available has been spent in rotation with Conor Bradley (£5.0m) and even Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.6m) at right-back.

However, in his career, the 24-year-old has actually started more games on the right side of midfield than any other position.

Frimpong has plenty of attacking experience from his prolific days as part of Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, as well as with Celtic before that, and has even started there once ahead of Salah this season (albeit in September’s ill-fated Champions League trip to Galatasaray).

If he recovers from his hamstring injury in time for Salah’s departure, he’d certainly offer more (much-needed) defensive cover on that side than its usual occupant while also having more license to get forward than he usually would as a right-back, offering an enticing FPL option for Liverpool’s decent fixtures.

An alternative, though, is the 4-4-2 that Slot fielded for last month’s win at Eintracht Frankfurt, a match where Salah was benched with Florian Wirtz (£8.0m) and Cody Gakpo (£7.5m) as the two wide men and a two-man frontline of Alexander Isak (£10.4m) and Hugo Ekitike (£8.6m).

MANCHESTER CITY

An ankle injury has kept Rayan Ait-Nouri (£5.7m) sidelined for much of his time as a Manchester City player so far. He’s available again now, but is expected to head to AFCON with Algeria.

Thankfully for Pep Guardiola, Nico O’Reilly (£5.0m) has excelled as a makeshift left-back, starting all but one Premier League match there since his first time in the XI back in Gameweek 4 and keeping five clean-sheets in that eight-game spell. 

The 20-year-old Englishman earned his first defensive contribution (DefCon) points of the campaign during Gameweek 11’s resounding beat-down of Liverpool, too, with his assist in that game taking him to three attacking returns from his last three league starts.

Omar Marmoush (£8.3m), who will join Salah in representing Egypt, has also missed a chunk of this season so far, thanks to a knee injury. 

He’s yet to start since his return from the setback, though, and the form of City’s other attackers like Erling Haaland (£14.9m), Jeremy Doku (£6.4m), Rayan Cherki (£6.3m) and Phil Foden (£8.0m) means Marmoush’s absence for AFCON shouldn’t be too sorely felt.

MANCHESTER UNITED

More impactful departures are those of Bryan Mbeumo (£8.5m) and Amad Diallo (£6.3m) from Manchester United.

The two have formed an effective attacking partnership since Mbeumo’s arrival from Brentford, and whatever length of time they spend away with Cameroon and the Ivory Coast, respectively, will be a blow to Ruben Amorim’s side.

What it should do, though, is give Benjamin Sesko (£7.3m) more assured gametime up front, assuming the Slovenian’s knee issue picked up in Gameweek 11 isn’t too severe; if it is, perhaps wantaway forward Joshua Zirkzee (£5.8m) might finally get a look-in to help him secure a January move.

Less competition for the limited attacking spots in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 should also mean Matheus Cunha (£7.9m) is a mainstay in the XI, while Mason Mount (£5.9m) may also benefit from Mbeumo’s absence to start as a No 10. The skipper Bruno Fernandes (£8.9m) could alternatively move into that role again, but Amorim seems to have more trust in Mount than he does in his central midfield replacements like Manuel Ugarte (£4.8m) or Kobbie Mainoo (£4.7m).

United’s mixed bag of Gameweek 16-23 fixtures means there mightn’t be much interest in their defence, but it’s worth noting that Noussair Mazraoui (£4.9m) might also be away, representing Morocco.

That reduces Amorim’s options in the back three while also – combined with the absence of Amad – leaving Patrick Dorgu (£4.2m) and Diogo Dalot (£4.4m) as the likeliest wing-back options during AFCON.

NEWCASTLE UNITED

A knee injury has kept Yoane Wissa (£7.3m) from involvement in any Newcastle matches so far, and he’s likely to be called up by DR Congo’s national side if he’s recovered in time for AFCON.

That means Nick Woltemade (£7.4m) should face minimal competition up front for the Magpies into the New Year, which could see his FPL ownership spike given Eddie Howe’s side sit behind only Brentford on the Fixture Ticker between Gameweeks 16 and 23.

SUNDERLAND

High-flying Sunderland are set to lose several players during AFCON, with Chemsdine Talbi (£5.0m), Noah Sadiki (£5.0m), Simon Adingra (£5.1m), Bertrand Traore (£5.5m) and the currently injured Habib Diarra (£5.3m) all potential absentees given their respective countries’ involvement.

That leaves Enzo Le Fee (£4.9m) – who could be on spot-kick duty, after his successful effort earlier this season – to carry the load alongside captain Granit Xhaka (£5.1m).

At the back, Reinildo (£4.0m) and Arthur Masuaku (£3.9m) will leave a hole at left-back, which could be filled either by Dennis Cirkin (£4.0m) or Trai Hume (£4.5m), if the latter switches sides. 

CRYSTAL PALACE

Crystal Palace’s attack will be without Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr (£6.7m) and possibly the far less utilised Nigerian striker Christansus Uche (£5.5m). 

That leaves the Eagles relatively thin up top in support of Jean-Philippe Mateta (£8.1m), so there’s every chance we see Daichi Kamada (£5.0m) shifted further forward in midfield. The Japan international has taken up more of a central role with increased defensive duties lately, but Oliver Glasner has more options in the middle of the park to partner Adam Wharton (£5.0m) – like Will Hughes (£4.8m) and Jefferson Lerma (£4.9m) – and could therefore free up Kamada to swap some of his DefCon points (four in his last five outings) for more attacking returns (he has two assists this season). Youngster Justin Devenny (£4.3m) is another option here.

Yeremy Pino (£5.8m), the usual left-sided prong to Sarr’s right behind Mateta in Glasner’s 3-4-2-1, could see more of Palace’s attacking play go through him, while there’s a chance Daniel Munoz (£5.7m) could be given even more license to roam forward to make up for Sarr’s loss.

Perhaps the most like-for-like Sarr replacement in the right wing/attacking midfield position is Romain Esse (£4.7m), but the 20-year-old has just one Premier League appearance under his belt this season. Given the Eagles have a few big tests during the AFCON window, it’s perhaps unlikely that Esse is thrown directly into the fray at that point.

If it isn’t him, and should Glasner prefer to keep Kamada in central midfield, another option – which may require a bit more of a tactical tweak – is Eddie Nketiah (£5.4m). The ex-Arsenal striker should be sufficiently recovered from his hamstring injury by the time AFCON rolls around, and could be deployed alongside Mateta to help replace some of the goal threat that the team will be lacking when Sarr is away.

FULHAM

Fulham sit pretty high on our Fixture Ticker between Gameweeks 16 and 23. They’ve been in relatively poor form all season, the Cottagers, but fixtures against Burnley (a), Nottingham Forest (h) and West Ham United (a) could help turn their season around.

Marco Silva will be without Nigerian defensive stalwart Calvin Bassey (£4.5m) and his countryman, winger Alex Iwobi (£6.5m), for those games during AFCON.

At the back, Jorge Cuenca Barreno (£4.4m) is probably the likeliest man to step into the middle of the backline alongside Joachim Andersen (£4.5m), given the Spaniard started the one Premier League match this season that Bassey didn’t (Gameweek 8).

The player possibly most likely to benefit from Iwobi’s absence, meanwhile, is Kevin (£5.9m).

The Brazilian is most comfortable on the left-hand side, where Iwobi usually operates, and indeed started there in both Gameweeks 10 and 11, with his teammate playing elsewhere. AFCON could therefore offer the perfect opportunity for Fulham’s club-record signing to shine.

BRENTFORD

Brentford’s main loss during AFCON will be Dango Ouattara (£6.0m), who terrorised Newcastle’s backline in Gameweek 11 to earn his fourth attacking return of the season and his third in three Gameweeks (the other two came against Liverpool).

The Burkina Faso international has started five of the Bees’ last six Premier League matches, on the right of Keith Andrews’s 4-2-3-1, but how have they lined up without him?

Well, that’s largely been as a 5-3-2 with FPL midfielder Kevin Schade (£7.0m) alongside in-form frontman Igor Thiago (£6.3m), so it’s possible Andrews just reverts to this when Ouattara is away – making Schade an appealing out-of-position option given Brentford sit top of our Fixture Ticker between Gameweeks 16 and 23, aided by their early double header against Leeds (h) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (a).

That system has usually been deployed against tougher opponents, though, so will Brentford stick to their 4-2-3-1? Mikkel Damsgaard (£5.8m) isn’t particularly likely to be shifted from his central playmaking role, while Fabio Carvalho (£4.8m) is one possible replacement out wide, but he’s failed to impress thus far in west London, so it might be a bit of a leap.

The versatile Keane Lewis-Potter (£4.9m), a defender in FPL, started on the right wing in Gameweek 1, and could be another option there. So too could teenage winger Gustavo Nunes (£4.9m), although as of Gameweek 11, we’ve yet to see the Brazilian in a Brentford first-team shirt, largely due to a hamstring injury.

In summary, then, Ouattara’s absence means Schade probably remains the stand-out Bees attacker not named Thiago, but Carvalho, Lewis-Potter or Nunes could be great short-term punts if we get any early indication as to which of the trio might start in Gameweek 16.

EVERTON

Everton will be missing Senegalese attacker Iliman Ndiaye (£6.5m).

The Toffees’ top goal-scorer, Ndiaye will leave a hole on the right of David Moyes’s frontline when he leaves for AFCON. Dwight McNeil (£5.5m) has experience on his side, while Carlos Alcaraz (£5.2m) started Gameweek 1 on that flank and has been a bit-part player since then.

Surely, though, this is the best chance young Tyler Dibling (£5.4m) will get to shine this season?

A coveted talent when he signed from Southampton this summer, Dibling’s only Premier League start of the campaign so far came on the right wing against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 7, when usual No 10 Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£4.9m) was suspended and Ndiaye shifted across into the middle. The 19-year-old was hooked at half-time with Everton trailing, Alcaraz thrown on in his place, and we’ve only seen him once – as a stoppage-time sub the following week – since then.

But with Jack Grealish (£6.8m) crafting chances on the opposite wing and Dewsbury-Hall doing the same from his central post, Dibling – if Moyes hands him the reigns on the right – could make the most of some appealing Everton fixtures during AFCON, especially if Senegal go far in the competition and keep Ndiaye away for an extended period of time.

The Toffees will also be without Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye (£5.4m); it’s possible Moyes turns to someone like Alcaraz in the middle of the park instead, with Tim Iroegbunam (£4.9m) or Merlin Rohl (£5.0m) also options – but ones with limited FPL appeal – alongside James Garner (£5.0m) there.

ASTON VILLA

Aston Villa got off to a rocky start in 2025/26 but have since seemed to get back on track. Unai Emery has given a decent chunk of minutes to Evann Guessand (£6.2m) throughout it all despite the summer signing being yet to register an attacking return in 10 Premier League appearances (five of them starts). 

Now, though, the Ivory Coast international is expected to jet off with his country for AFCON, which could boost the FPL appeal of a certain Donyell Malen (£5.1m).

The Dutchman has struggled for a regular place in Unai Emery’s XI ever since he arrived in the Midlands in January, kept out of the side by a combination of last season’s loanees Marcus Rashford and Marcos Asensio plus first-teamers like Ollie Watkins (£8.5m) and Morgan Rogers (£6.8m), and now Guessand.

He only has three league starts to his name this term, but Malen also has three goals after his successful effort as a substitute in Gameweek 11’s rout of Bournemouth. An option on the right in Guessand’s absence, as well as a second striker – where he excelled with a brace versus Burnley – and even as a potential line leader, should Watkins’s form continue to suffer and Emery elect to tweak some more, Malen presents a potentially enticing option at his lowly price given Villa have a few nice fixtures during AFCON.

Though perhaps less of a direct beneficiary of Guessand’s absence, Emiliano Buendia (£5.3m) is another cheap Villa attacker who has done incredibly well from limited gametime this season and could see his minutes boosted with the temporary dip in competition for the team’s attacking spots.

WEST HAM UNITED

West Ham, who have improved under Nuno Espirito Santo to win back-to-back Premier League games for the first time, will lose full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.3m) and El Hadji Malick Diouf (£4.3m) to AFCON with DR Congo and Senegal, respectively.

The main door that opens is for Kyle Walkers-Peters (£4.3m), who came off the bench to nick what proved to be the winner against Burnley in Gameweek 11.

With some decent fixtures over the AFCON period, Walker-Peters could be set for a prolonged run in the Hammers’ XI at just the right time to spark FPL investment.

OTHERS

Elsewhere, here are a few other players who could be missing from their respective teams, along with who could replace them…