Who will be representing their country at the Africa Cup of Nations this year?

Players are now being locked in by their countries ready for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. The 2025 tournament will get underway later this month in Morocco, with three-time champions Côte d'Ivoire preparing to defend their title.

Celtic could see three players leave the club over the coming weeks to represent their international teams at AFCON. The first name has been confirmed as Michel-Ange Balikwisha has been included in the DR Congo squad to take on this year’s tournament.

The winger recently switched his international allegiance to represent DR Congo, having made the switch from Belgium, who had represented at youth levels. Balikwisha made his debut for DR Congo during their World Cup qualifier against Cameroon.

His efforts have now earned him a spot on the roster of Africa’s biggest tournament. DR Congo are one of the latest nations to unveil their 26-man squad, which includes Balikwisha, who signed for Celtic over the summer from Antwerp.

Others are still yet to confirm their squad lists for the tournament, meaning two other Celtic players could also be headed out to Morocco later this month. Sebastian Tounekti and Kelechi Iheanacho, who represent Tunisia and Nigeria respectively, are also in with a chance of being called up to this year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

How many Celtic games will players miss due to AFCON?

Balikwisha is the only confirmed Celtic player leaving the club for AFCON this month. Tounekti could also be called up, having been named in Tunisia’s last two camps, but Iheanacho may miss out for the Super Eagles due to injury and absent from the national team set-up.

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is due to get underway on Sunday, December 21st, and the tournament will run until Sunday, January 18th.

DR Congo have been drawn into Group D, along with Benin, Botswana and Senegal. Their first match will get underway on December 23rd, followed by their remaining group games on the 27th and 30th.

If DR Congo do not make it out of their group, Balikwisha will miss three Celtic games - Aberdeen, Livingston and Motherwell. Of course, if they progress to the knockouts, the winger will be absent for further fixtures.

The AFCON round of 16 fixtures overlap with Celtic’s clash with Rangers on January 3rd. If DR Congo make it all the way to the final, Balikwisha will be out in Morocco until the final clash on January 18th, which will interfere with a further three Hoops fixtures.

All in all, AFCON players risk missing seven Celtic games between the tournament starting and closing. The last match that would be missed is the Hoops’ Scottish Cup clash against Auchinleck Talbot on January 17th.