African Cup of Nations 2025. Top 10 players who will miss the tournament
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
The new edition of the African Cup of Nations kicks off this Sunday, December 21, in Morocco. This 35th edition of the tournament will feature 24 teams, with many top players aiming to lift the trophy with their national sides.
However, not all of the best footballers will be on display. Several truly elite players will miss the African Cup of Nations 2025.
The Dailysports team has prepared a ranking of the ten footballers who will not take part in the African Cup of Nations 2025 in Morocco.
Andre Onana (Cameroon)
There is currently a very controversial situation with Onana and the Cameroon national team as a whole. The issue is that the Cameroon Football Federation appointed David Pagou as head coach and released the squad list for the tournament, in which Andre Onana was not included.
On the other hand, coach Marc Bris, who has not been officially dismissed and still considers himself the head of the team, published his own squad list, which does include Andre Onana.
However, FIFA’s official website lists David Pagou as the head coach, meaning his squad is the official one for the African Cup of Nations. As a result, Andre Onana will not play in the tournament.
Onana, however, has been showing good form recently. He plays for Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super League, currently sitting third in the table, just four points behind the leaders. Andre has played 12 matches for Trabzonspor, conceding 15 goals and keeping three clean sheets.
Nicolas Pépé (Ivory Coast)
Another scandal erupted before the African Cup of Nations, which will see one of the Ivorian team’s leaders, Nicolas Pépé, absent from the tournament. He was excluded from the squad just days before the tournament. The reason was his sharp criticism of players who initially chose one national team and then switched to an African side.
Quote: “I’ll speak for myself. If a player first chose France and then one of the African teams, I would immediately kick him out if I were the federation president. That means, for him, for example, Ivory Coast is a second option,” Pépé told YouTube blogger Juste Riyad.
Ivory Coast head coach Emers Faye stated that if selection were based solely on footballing qualities, Nicolas Pépé would be in the squad, but off-field factors were also taken into account, so he will miss the African Cup of Nations.
This season, Nicolas Pépé has become a key player for Villarreal, scoring two goals and providing two assists in 22 appearances across all competitions.
Geoffrey Kondogbia (Central African Republic)
In this case, there was no scandal. The issue is purely sporting: the Central African Republic failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations. The team earned just three points in six qualifying matches, finishing last in their group.
Kondogbia played five of the six matches in this qualifying cycle. He is the leader and captain of his national team, but unfortunately, he could not lead his side to the tournament.
Currently, Geoffrey Kondogbia plays for Marseille and is no longer as pivotal for the club. He has appeared in eight matches across all competitions this season. Last season, however, he played 26 matches for Marseille and was clearly a more important player. At 32 years old, the coaches’ logic is understandable.
For his national team, he is undoubtedly a leader and a legend, making it all the more disappointing that he will miss the African Cup of Nations 2025.
Sérú Girássi (Guinea)
The Guinea national team came close to qualifying for the African Cup of Nations, but ultimately fell short by just one point, missing out on the 2025 finals. During the qualifiers, Sérú Girássi showcased excellent form, scoring six goals in four matches. Overall, Guinea scored nine goals in qualifying, meaning the striker accounted for the majority of his team’s goals.
Girássi plays for Borussia Dortmund and has been both regular and effective this season. He has appeared in 23 matches across all competitions, scoring nine goals and providing four assists. Dortmund currently sits in the Bundesliga top three, and Girássi’s contribution has been significant in achieving these results.
Notably, last season Girássi scored 38 goals and provided nine assists, finishing as the second top scorer in the Bundesliga and the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League with nine goals and two assists.
Mohammed Kudus, Anthony Semenyo, and Thomas Partey (Ghana)
The Ghana national team became a real shock in the qualifiers for CAN 2025, but for all the wrong reasons. Over six qualifying matches, Ghana earned just three points, finished last in their group, and failed to reach the tournament. For the first time in 11 editions of the African Cup of Nations, Ghana did not qualify. As a result, several top Ghanaian players will miss the tournament.
Mohammed Kudus, who joined Tottenham in the summer of 2025 for €63.8 million, will not feature at CAN 2025. At his new club, he quickly became a key attacking player, appearing in 22 matches, scoring three goals, and providing six assists. In the CAN qualifiers, Kudus played all six matches but contributed only one assist.
Anthony Semenyo, currently at Bournemouth, could soon surpass Kudus’ transfer value in a move to a top club. He is indispensable to his current team, having scored seven goals and provided three assists in 16 appearances. However, Semenyo’s performance in CAN 2025 qualifying was underwhelming, with no goal contributions in four matches.
Another Ghanaian star missing the African Cup of Nations is Thomas Partey. Last summer, he joined Villarreal on a free transfer and quickly became an integral part of the team, playing 17 matches across all competitions. However, in the CAN 2025 qualifiers, he appeared in only two matches and could not make a significant impact for Ghana.
Deylon Rocha Livramento (Cape Verde)
The 24-year-old striker has been in excellent form recently. In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Livramento scored four goals in eight matches, helping Cape Verde qualify for the World Cup for the first time in history. However, the team struggled in the African Cup of Nations 2025 qualifiers, earning only four points in six matches and finishing last in their group.
Livramento currently plays for Portuguese side Casa Pia. He has appeared in 12 matches for the club this season but has yet to score.
Alieu Fadera (Gambia)
Gambia participated in the African Cup of Nations in 2021 and 2023, but failed to qualify for this edition. They earned eight points in six qualifying matches, which proved insufficient, leaving them in third place and out of the final tournament.
Alieu Fadera played four matches in the qualifiers but did not register any goal contributions. Despite this, he is a young and promising winger currently playing in Serie A. Fadera represents Sassuolo, having made 16 appearances for the Italian side, scoring one goal and providing two assists. A solid performance, especially considering he is on loan at Sassuolo.
Kevin Denké (Togo)
Togo earned five points in the CAN 2025 qualifiers, which was not enough to secure a place in the tournament. Consequently, their striker Kevin Denké, who scored two goals for Togo in qualifying, will also miss the African Cup of Nations. It is a real loss, as Denké has been showing excellent form this season.
Denké spent the season in MLS, scoring 18 goals and providing three assists in 37 appearances across all competitions. He helped FC Cincinnati reach the playoffs and advance to the quarter-finals.
