Thankfully, Mo Salah will remain at Liverpool next season, a prospect that seemed uncertain until he signed a two-year contract extension in April.
The Egyptian star led the Premier League scoring charts in 2024/25 with 29 goals, playing a key role as the Reds stormed to the title. Now that Arne Slot’s men have their fixtures for the new campaign, one major concern will be Salah’s absence during the busy festive period due to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which this time kicks off before Christmas and concludes in mid-January — earlier than usual.
When is AFCON 2025?
Egypt begin their tournament on 22 December against Zimbabwe, followed by South Africa on Boxing Day and Angola three days later. If they advance, their Round of 16 tie will be on 3–5 January, with the quarter-finals on 9–10 January, semi-finals on 14 January, and the final on 18 January.
Given Egypt’s ranking as one of the favorites, they’ll be expected to go deep into the competition.
Which Liverpool matches will Salah miss?
Egypt will likely gather their squad at least a week before their opener, so Salah will probably miss Liverpool’s final three Premier League games of 2025: away at Spurs, then home against Wolves and Leeds.
How long he stays away in January depends on Egypt’s run. If they reach the quarter-finals or beyond, Salah will also be unavailable for the early-January trip to Fulham and a daunting visit to Arsenal. Should Egypt make the semi-finals — and potentially the final or third-place playoff — Salah will also miss Burnley at Anfield on 17 January, returning in time for the Bournemouth away game.
Overall, it’s not the worst stretch of fixtures for Liverpool to cope without him, though losing Salah for a trip to the Emirates will be a blow. Hopefully, by that point he’ll have built on last season’s scoring tally and Liverpool will have established a comfortable lead at the top of the table.
