AFCON 2025 Countdown: How Many Liverpool Matches Will Salah Miss?
2 December 2025
AFCON 2025 call-up sidelines Salah for Liverpool several games
Mohamed Salah will miss a number of key Liverpool fixtures after being called up by Egypt to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations, which begins on December 20 and runs into January.
ESPN reports that Liverpool manager Arne Slot confirmed Salah will join the Egypt camp on December 15, ahead of the tournament hosted by Morocco. The event runs from December 21 to January 18 for teams reaching the final.
Egypt are in a group with Angola, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, and the top two finishers plus the best four third-placed teams advance to the knockout rounds, potentially extending Salah's absence.
Practical dates and potential absences
Liverpool’s schedule during Salah’s international duty looks like this: leaving on December 15 for international duty, then December 20 vs Tottenham, and December 27 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers.
If Egypt reach the knockout stage, Salah would miss further fixtures on January 1 against Leeds United, January 4 against Fulham, and January 8 against Arsenal. He could rejoin if Egypt are eliminated in the Round of 16, depending on progression.
If Egypt advance to the semi-finals, Salah would also miss January fixtures including the January matchup with Burnley. The third-place game is January 17 and the final on January 18, while Liverpool return to Champions League action on January 21 against Marseille. Notably, Liverpool will not play between January 8 and January 17 because AFCON quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled during that window.
Punchline 1: If Salah keeps scoring for Egypt and Liverpool keeps scrambling the calendar, at least someone is getting a January vacation in.
Punchline 2: The only thing sharper than Salah’s left foot this winter might be Liverpool’s calendar planning—talk about a season where productivity meets penguins in the freezer aisle.
