AFCON 2025: Which Qatar Stars League players will feature in Africa Cup of Nations?

The Africa Cup of Nations 2025 in Morocco will feature 12 players from various Qatar Stars League clubs.

The Africa Cup of Nations is set to kick off in Morocco on December 21, with the 35th edition set to draw a stellar cast of African talents from all over the world.

A sizable chunk of those are currently plying their trades in Europe and remain among the biggest names in the world, including Mohammed Salah and Achraf Hakimi.

The tournament is also set to feature players currently playing in various Qatar Stars League sides, with some occupying crucial slots in heavyweights such as Algeria and Morocco. Here’s a look at all 12 of them:

Youcef Atal

Al Sadd’s Youcef Atal is a part of Vladimir Petković’s squad heading to Morocco and will be one of the few players to play in both the FIFA Arab Cup and AFCON this year. The riveting full-back watched Algeria crash out of the quarterfinals of the Arab Cup against the UAE from the bench despite getting minutes in all three group games.

The 29-year-old has continued to be one of Al Sadd’s better players, but his spell has not been without injuries, much like his national team career. Atal, a part of Algeria’s squad that won AFCON in 2019 under Djamel Belmadi, will seek to make up for those absences this year.

Baghdad Bounedjah

Injecting experience into Algeria’s lively attacking unit will be Baghdad Bounedjah, who may be far from his peak but still has goals left in him.

The 34-year-old striker has been vital to Al Shamal’s success this season, scoring six goals and providing four assists in the Qatar Stars League.

It was Bounedjah’s second minute deflected strike against Senegal that handed Algeria their second-ever AFCON title in 2019 and he could prove to be equally decisive this time around as well.

Redouane Berkane

Another crucial cog in Petković’s Algerian squad could be Al Wakrah’s Redouane Berkane. The 22-year-old centre-forward comes on the back of a stellar first half of the season in the Qatar Stars League with five goals and an assist so far.

That was on show at the FIFA Arab Cup too, as Berkane scored two and made one in a 5-1 thumping win over Bahrain in Group D, which happened to be just his second cap with Les Fennecs.

Adil Boulbina

Adil Boulbina’s exploits on Al Duhail’s right wing have continued to turn heads this season.

The 22-year-old has 13 goal involvements for Al Duhail in all competitions so far this season, including an impressive hat-trick against Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad at the AFC Champions League Elite last month.

He carried that form over to the Arab Cup with 3 goals and an assist, which was enough for him to be another player called up for both the Arab Cup and the AFCON squad.

Mohamed Camara

Al Sadd might have been struggling lately, but their title-clinching comeback at the Qatar Stars League owed a significant credit to Malian midfielder Mohamed Camara.

Camara was a mainstay of the Malian squad that finished the AFCON qualifiers without a single loss, but chances in Tom Saintfiet’s side could come at a premium with a studded cast. Tottenham Hotspur’s Yves Bissouma, Amadou Haidara of RB Leipzig, and Al Ahly’s Aliou Dieng will be Camara’s partners in the middle as the side looks to qualify through hosts Morocco’s group.

Gelson Dala

In an Angola side, looking to better the quarter-final run in 2023, Al Wakrah striker Gelson Dala could prove to be a useful asset. It was Dala’s brace and an assist in the round-of-16 clash against Namibia last tournament that helped the Red Devils achieve their joint-best finish.

The 29-year-old has only scored two in six appearances in the Qatar Stars League this season after an injury kept him out of action in August and September.

Issoufou Dayo

Burkinabe centre-back Issoufou Daye is the only Umm Salal player to have earned a call-up for AFCON 2025, despite what has been a sluggish start to the season for both him and the club.

The 34-year-old has so far earned 79 caps for Burkina Faso and was a part of the side that finished fourth in 2021.

Hamdy Fathy

Ever since making the switch from Egypt’s Al Ahly to Al Wakrah in the summer, Hamdy Fathy has proved to be a solid midfielder for the Blue Waves. The Pharaohs will expect no less from the 31-year-old in Morocco.

Fathy was a crucial cog in the Egyptian side that fell short against Senegal in the 2022 edition, and earning a spot in next year’s World Cup as one of the team’s most experienced midfielders should be enough motivation for the Behira-born star. 

Romain Saiss

For a Moroccan side seeking to channel the home support towards winning its first-ever AFCON, Al Sadd’s Romain Saiss will be influential.

It was under Saiss’ captaincy that the Atlas Lions became the first-ever African side to play in a World Cup semi-final in Qatar three years ago. The 35-year-old’s experienced presence at the heart of defence could prove equally as important when his country hosts the AFCON.

After a turbulent first season due to registration limitations, Saiss has been decent in an Al Sadd side struggling to find form in the current one.

Ferjani Sassi

Ferjani Sassi’s spell at Al Gharafa makes it fairly obvious that the midfielder will have to be at the peak of his powers if the Eagles of Carthage want to clinch only their second AFCON title.

The 33-year-old has frequently managed to bag important goals for Al Gharafa, mostly from his late runs and aerial prowess, in addition to his stellar midfield duties, while bearing the armband.

In what turned out to be a rather average Arab Cup campaign, Sassi captained a Tunisian side missing several key players and found the net in the side’s only win in the competition against Qatar.

Faiz Selemani

Another sole AFCON representative for a QSL club, Qatar SC’s Faiz Selemani will be a part of the Comoros side looking to better their Round-of-16 finish on debut in 2021.

The Marseille-born attacker did not take much time to settle in Qatar after the summer move, bagging three assists against defending champions Al Sadd on debut. The 32-year-old has been stellar for Qatar SC, who have managed to punch above their weight under Bartolome ‘Tintin’ Marquez Lopez.

Naim Sliti

Second of the QSL-representing Tunisians called up for the competition in Morocco is Al Shamal midfielder Naim Sliti. The experienced campaigner has appeared in four AFCON editions for Tunisia, including in 2019 when the Carthage Eagles finished fourth. Despite missing the FIFA Arab Cup due to injury, the 33-year-old was named in Sami Trablesi’s final AFCON squad.

Sliti has been playing in the QSL since 2023, having first signed for Al Ahli before moving to Al Shamal after a season.