Every PL game Mo Salah could miss in 25/26 due to AFCON revealed – including huge title clash

Sign in to your GiveMeSport accountPremier League champions Liverpool could be without talisman Mohamed Salah for as many as six fixtures in the 2025-26 season. Each club’s games were announced on Wednesday morning, with the Reds opening their title defence against Bournemouth at Anfield. A difficult start to the campaign for Arne Slot’s men sees the Merseysiders travel to Newcastle United in the second gameweek before welcoming expected title rivals Arsenal to Anfield in the third week of the season. However, the Dutchman’s biggest concern will come in the middle of the season, and the busiest period of the football calendar. RelatedSupercomputer Predicts 2025-26 Premier League Table in FullThe Premier League table could look very different in some key areas this time next year.As the Reds strode towards a 20th English top-flight trophy, Slot had the benefit of Salah being available for all 38 matches. The Egyptian was the Player of the Season, Golden Boot winner, and won the Playmaker award. He won’t feature in all his club’s league matches this term, however. Mohamed Salah to Miss Arsenal vs Liverpool Due to AFCONSlot will already be thinking of solutionsSalah, being the nation’s biggest star, will almost certainly be called-up to the Egypt squad for the African Cup of Nations. The tournament, which last made Salah miss Premier League football in 2024, will run from late December into mid-January, with the final taking place on the 18th. Egypt’s first match is against Zimbabwe on December 22, and the players are expected to assemble for pre-tournament preparations at least one week beforehand. That would rule Salah out of an away trip to Tottenham, as well as home matches with Wolves and Leeds United, as the Reds’ final 2025 fixtures. Related20 Best Players in World Football Ranked by AIMohamed Salah, Jude Bellingham, and Lamine Yamal all feature high up on the list.The rest of the potential Salah-less matches Slot will need to contend with depend entirely on how well Egypt perform. If they reach the quarter-finals, the 33-year-old will also be absent for a double-header in the capital, against Fulham and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. If Egypt are involved in the semi-finals – and subsequently either the final or third-place play-off – Salah will still be in Africa for Liverpool’s home clash with newly-promoted Burnley. That would be a total of six matches without the main creator and goalscorer, giving Slot reason for concern. Liverpool Premier League Fixtures Mo Salah Could Miss Likelihood Fixtures Will Definitely Miss Tottenahm (a), Wolves (h), Leeds United (h) Could Miss Fulham (a), Arsenal (a), Burnley (h) Information courtesy of Empire of the Kop.