AFCON 2025: Guirassy, Gouiri, Wissa, Onana and many stars to miss this edition

Three days before the start of the competition, the 24 qualified selections sharpen their weapons. The succession of Côte d'Ivoire, holder of the title, opens on Sunday at 8pm GMT with the opening match between Morocco, host country, and the Comoros. The local star Achraf Hakimi could well win his bet: to put the Atlas Lions back on the roof of Africa on the evening of January 18, 2026. That is half a century after their unique African championship title in 1976. If the Moroccan star should hold his place even after a fatal injury with PSG, this edition will see quite a few absentees.

Serhou Guirassy couldn't qualify the Sily
Co-Best Scorer of the European Champions League during the 2024-2025 season, Serhou Guirassy still cannot reconcile with the AFCON. Eliminated in 2024 in Côte d'Ivoire, the striker from Borussia Dortmund failed to qualify Guinea at this year's African football grand mass. Housed in group H during the qualifiers, Guinea are ahead of the DRC and Tanzania with 3 wins and 3 defeats. However, the Borussia Dortmund striker was successful with 6 of his team’s 9 goals. Insufficient to allow his team to surpass their best result in history with their quarter-final position in 2024.

Algeria's Amine Gouiri
He is the great absent from the Algeria team. OM striker Amine Gouiri is not part of the list of 28 Fennecs revealed by Vladimir Petkovic. The Bosnian coach will not be able to count on Gouiri injured in the shoulder. Having enjoyed a second part of last season with OM, the Algerian will not play in his 2nd AFCON. This season, the former Rennes player is unable to confirm his thunderous debut which saw him score 10 goals and 3 assists in 14 Ligue 1 matches with the club.

DR Congo will truly miss Yoane Wissa
Even if his presence was compromised since his knee injury contracted at the beginning of the season, Yoane Wissa will be missed by the Leopards during in Morocco. The Magpies striker has just returned to competition with his new club and will leave a big gap on the Congolese offensive lines. His breathtaking season (2024-2025) with Brentford punctuated by 19 goals and 4 assists left one thinking of a beautiful AFCON with Leopards emboldened by their journey at the 2023 edition and their qualification for the intercontinental play-offs for the 2026 World Cup.

Onana, Partey, Pépé and more
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations records other notable absences. This is the case for André Onana. The former Inter Milan goalkeeper was removed from the list by the new coach, David Pagou. A decision that feels like punishment for having been a support of the former coach, Marc Brys. For the same reasons, Vincent Aboubacar is not selected by the Indomitable Lions for the Moroccan meeting. André Zambo-Anguissa was forced to withdraw, injured in the biceps femoris of the left thigh.

Thomas Partey is one of the great figures of African football who will not be in the Cherifian kingdom. Ghana’s poor qualification campaign resulted in a final place behind Angola, Sudan and Niger. Nicolas Pépé is not on the list of Côte d'Ivoire elephants. The Villarreal striker has been removed from the list of reigning African champions for "extra-sporting" reasons, as conceded by the Ivorian coach Emerse Faé, after a video that was source of controversy.