AFCON 2025: good news for Gernot Rohr…and the Cheetahs

Good news for the teams qualified for AFCON 2025. They will be able to take an expanded delegation, increased to 27 players. This decision was already applied at the 2023 edition and has been renewed to meet the demands of an especially congested calendar.

While match sheets will remain limited to 23 players, the four additional players will offer significant relief to coaches facing a tournament held during the season, with risks of injury, accumulated fatigue and fluctuating forms.

This increased flexibility will, for example, make it possible to include players returning from long absences or to cover certain sensitive positions. However, national federations will have to bear the costs of these reinforcements themselves, as CAF will not fund the additional spots. As a reminder, AFCON 2025 will take place in Morocco, from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.