When is AFCON? Date, fixtures, TV channel and the Manchester United players involved

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) returns in the New Year as countries from across the continent face off to be crowned the Kings of Africa.

Africa's standing in the international footballing community rose last winter when Morocco went all the way to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar. It was an historic achievement and next month 24 teams will converge in the Ivory Coast to compete for honours. As the tournament clashes with the regular season in Europe, several of the Premier League's top stars will be missing for an extended period.

The tournament was scheduled to take place in the summer of 2023 but weather concerns saw it pushed back to the winter of 2024. MEN Sport has put together all you need to know about AFCON.

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AFCON will take place between January 13 and February 11. The group stages of the competition will conclude on January 22, 23 and 24. Players knocked out in the group stage will likely return to their clubs in time for matches in February.

Manchester United have four stars who could be representing their nations at AFCON. Andre Onana, Sofyan Amrabat, Hannibal Mejbri and Amad have all represented their national teams recently and are likely to be included in their respective squads.

Meanwhile, Manchester City have no players who are currently at the club who shall be going to AFCON. However, their loanee at Luton Town Issa Kabore is likely to head to the tournament.

United's players are expected to leave for AFCON following the clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday, December 30.

Similar to the Euros, the 24 African nations have been split into six groups. Four countries make up a group with the