when does afcon end

AFCON (the Africa Cup of Nations) is scheduled to end on Sunday, 18 January 2026, with the tournament final.

Key dates

• Tournament dates: 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026 in Morocco.

• The final: Sunday, 18 January 2026, closing the competition.

Quick context

• The dates were moved from mid‑2025 to late 2025/early 2026 to avoid a clash with the expanded FIFA Club World Cup.

• This will be the first AFCON edition fully crossing Christmas and New Year, which is why there is so much current forum and news discussion about player availability and league disruption.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.