Angola’s head coach, Patrice Beaumelle, has hit out at FIFA for allowing clubs to keep their Africa Cup of Nations players until just one week before the tournament begins, warning that the late release will disrupt preparations across the continent.

National teams were initially expecting to receive their players by 8 December, giving close to two weeks to train together ahead of AFCON 2025.

However, FIFA has now pushed the release date to 15 December, a move widely linked to pressure from top European clubs who are reluctant to lose key players during a busy period in the season.

Many African teams will now be left with only a few days to work with full squads before the competition starts in Morocco on 21 December.

Beaumelle took strong exception to the decision and questioned FIFA’s commitment to African football.

“FIFA only needs Africa during elections, but it doesn’t value our competitions like AFCON or give them the recognition they deserve,” he said.

The French coach argued that AFCON deserves the same level of respect given to major tournaments in Europe and South America, describing it as one of the game’s most passionate international events.

He warned that the shorter preparation window could affect both cohesion and performance, particularly for teams relying on players based overseas.

Note that the AFCON 2025 runs from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.

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