Super Eagles talents Samuel Chukwueze and Maduka Okoye are among twenty African players who will miss Serie A action due to their participation in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament scheduled between December 2025 and January 2026, will clash with crucial league fixtures, prompting their clubs to brace for absences.
Chukwueze, now a regular at AC Milan, and Okoye, Udinese’s goalkeeper, will both see playing time disrupted. Their departures highlight the regular mid-season challenges Serie A clubs face when national duty calls.
While Serie A’s precise fixture list during AFCON hasn’t been confirmed, experts expect teams will need depth and tactical flexibility to weather the absence of key African internationals.
Editorial
We recognise the dual-edged nature of continental tournaments like AFCON. While we celebrate the pride and passion driving players such as Chukwueze and Okoye to represent their nations, we must acknowledge the competitive strain their clubs endure.
It feels entirely right that our stars answer the call of national duty. Yet, at club level, their absence reverberates through team dynamics and results. Italian clubs must now adapt mid-season rotating squads, revising formations or bolstering the bench to sustain performance levels.
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We sense that an early warning system is needed clearer fixture planning or staggered windows to lessen disruption. Clubs, players and federations share the stakes, but currently, the balance feels tilted. The promise of pride clashes with the practicalities of club football.
We continue to believe in the importance of both pathways national and club but unless greater coordination emerges, this tussle will play out year after year, disrupting rhythm, momentum and, ultimately, success.
Did You Know?
- Samuel Chukwueze joined AC Milan from Villarreal in 2023 and has already amassed over 50 appearances for the Italian giants.
- Maduka Okoye, standing at nearly 1.98 m, is among the tallest goalkeepers in Serie A, offering commanding aerial presence between the posts.
- The 2025 AFCON will be hosted by Morocco and held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, overlapping with the busy European league period.
- Ademola Lookman, another Nigerian playing in Serie A (for Atalanta), has enjoyed a breakout season finishing among the league’s top scorers and assist makers.
- Italian clubs could be further impacted by new rules allowing them to withhold players from AFCON if participation would conflict with other competitions, a move that may reshape future international releases.
