The players Tottenham will be without due to AFCON

Club football was brought a halt when the FIFA World Cup rolled around in 2022, with Qatar's sweltering summer conditions moving the tournament to the winter.

However, there will be no mid-season stoppage for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where 24 teams will compete for continental supremacy. The tournament kicks off just before Christmas on 21 December, with the final scheduled just under a month later in Rabat, Morocco.

Mid-season AFCONs are hardly a novelty, and the talent Africa boasts means Premier League teams are bound to suffer this time round. Over 40 African players competing in the English top-flight are poised to be involved, with as many as 17 clubs affected.

Tottenham are one of them, but some would argue that Thomas Frank has gotten off lightly, especially with Mohammed Kudus' Ghana failing to qualify. Sunderland could have as many as seven key players at the tournament, while the struggling Wolves may be without five for a couple of weeks, at least.

Spurs are just losing two.

Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)

The energetic midfielder was one of Tottenham's early-season stars after an impressive summer. He shone in a No. 10 role that was predicated on pressing, duels and winning second balls. However, Xavi Simons' integration has reduced Sarr's necessity, with the Senegalese international struggling for starts between the October and November breaks.

Still, Sarr is an important figure in Frank's engine room, primarily because of his work off the ball. He's also a useful box-crasher and an underrated user of the ball in deeper zones.

The former Metz starlet will be a part of Aliou Cissé's AFCON squad, despite picking up an injury in their recent defeat to Brazil. Sarr's made at least one start during the previous six international breaks, and will play an important role in helping Senegal prosper in a post-Sadio Mané landscape.

For Spurs, Sarr's absence increases the likelihood of the dreaded Rodrigo Bentancur x João Palhinha partnership. Senegal's stellar squad means they may well enjoy a deep run in Morocco, meaning Sarr could miss as many as seven games for the Lilywhites.

Yves Bissouma (Mali)

Yves Bissouma was quickly thrust to the periphery by Frank, just a few weeks removed from his exceptional performance in the Europa League final. The Mali international had some disciplinary issues at the start of the new manager's reign, and Spurs attempted to sell the midfielder in the summer.

They failed, though. Since then, Bissouma has picked up two injuries and hasn't played a single competitive minute for his club. The ankle ligament issue he sustained in October has thrust his AFCON status into doubt, but, in Frank's eyes, his absence is hardly fatal.

The club will hope to move Bissouma on in January.

Tottenham's fixtures during AFCON