CAN 2024
LaLiga clubs preparing for large scale Africa Cup of Nations January exit
33 players from 16 Spanish clubs can possibly be called up to play in the tournament which gets underway in Ivory Coast next month with Madrid, Barça, Getafe and Osasuna the only sides unaffected.
Sixteen LaLiga teams are preparing to lose some of their players for a month due as the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off next month with the action in Ivory Coast running from 13 January through to 11 February. Up to 33 footballers who play for Spanish clubs are likely to be called up by one of the 24 African teams that will particpate in the tournament.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Getafe and Osasuna are the only LaLiga teams that will not be impacted by CAN 2024.
The African Cup of Nations will see players will miss the Spanish Super Cup; the round of 16, quarterfinals and the first leg of the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, matchdays 20, 21, 22,23 and 24 of the Spanish League and the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League. Call-up dates could also see certain players miss matchday 19 and possibly 18 of the LaLiga season.
The call-ups for each nation have yet to be confirmed, but some head coaches are already compiling pre-tournament squads such as the Morocco coach, Walid Regragui, who announced a preliminary list of 55 players in which seven LaLiga players make the cut: Chadi Riad and Abde (Betis), En Nesyri (Seville), Amallah (Valencia), Ilias Akomah (Villarreal), Abqar (Deportivo Alavés) and Munir (Las Palmas).
Games will be staged in Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Bouake, San Pedro, and Korhogo and the opening game will feature hosts Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau at Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe, in Abidjan.