When will Man United and Man City's AFCON players return? All the key dates

The arrival of this year's Africa Cup of Nations will see several Premier League teams miss some big names for the festive period, with Manchester United and Manchester City among them

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations comes at a terrible time for both Manchester City and Manchester United. Both teams have endured their wobbles in the Premier League this season but have each made strides compared to last year.

Ruben Amorim is set to be hit particularly hard by the tournament's selection, with Bryan Mbeumo and Amad both big losses. They'll link up with Cameroon and the Ivory Coast, respectively, while Noussair Mazraoui will represent hosts Morocco.

City, meanwhile, have Omar Marmoush fighting on Egypt's behalf and Rayan Ait-Nouri set to star for Algeria. The Premier League giants could do with full squads as a demanding winter schedule takes its toll, and the Manchester Evening News explores when players might be expected to return, with several key dates in mind.

Who are the AFCON favourites?

The tournament hosts have made it to at least the semi-final stage of the past two AFCON competitions. This is worth bearing in mind given Morocco tend to be a perennial contender and enters their own competition as favourites this year.

It's also worth highlighting that in addition to being absent for fixtures, those venturing deeper in the tournament won't return to club duty straight away. And any players that get their hands on the title may be entitled to a few extra days to lap up their achievement before coming back to England.

Morocco are the clear frontrunners with the bookmakers to win a first AFCON crown since 1976, while seven-time champions Egypt are second in the stakes. The Atlas Lions are heavily backed to top Group A ahead of Zambia, Mali and Comoros, while Egypt appear to have a slightly harder line-up against South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe in Group B.

How long will AFCON run?

The competition doesn't get underway until December 21, although players will start to link up with their sides imminently. The tournament will conclude in Rabat on January 18, meaning some players could be away for a full month.

During that span, there are six rounds of Premier League action due to be played. This includes a particularly demanding three-week period between December 20 and January 8, across which each top-flight club will play five times.

Who has the hardest run during AFCON?

Some of those Premier League outfits missing players over the next month face more testing periods than others. At least on paper given the current table and how teams are performing at present.

For example, Aston Villa will face United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Crystal Palace (in that order) between December 21 and January 7. Brighton also has a testing run of fixtures over the next month or so, with Sunderland, Arsenal, City and Bournemouth each on the agenda while the AFCON is on.

AFCON key dates

Group stage: December 21 to December 31

Round of 16: January 3 to January 6

Quarter-finals: January 9 and January 10

Semi-finals: January 14

Third-place play-off: January 17

Final: January 18