Overview
- The later cutoff falls six days before the Dec. 21 kickoff in Morocco, tightening national-team preparation windows.
- FIFA asked participating federations to pursue individual agreements with clubs and said it will mediate if disputes arise.
- In Germany the date lands after Bundesliga matchday 14, so clubs could be without call-ups for up to four games and potentially through matchday 18.
- Bayer Leverkusen could be hit hardest, with Eliesse Ben Seghir, Ibrahim Maza, Edmond Tapsoba, Nathan Tella and Christian Kofane cited as AFCON candidates.
- Bayern’s Nicolas Jackson is seen as a likely call-up for Senegal, and prior late releases have led to issues such as Andre Onana missing Cameroon’s 2021 opener due to travel delays.