The tournament kicks off in Morocco on 21 December and runs until 18 January, with 24 nations competing to dethrone perennial favourites Ivory Coast. As always, the biennial competition brings headaches for European coaches, and La Liga is no exception.

Manuel Pellegrini's Real Betis face the biggest challenge, contributing the most players to the tournament from Spain's top flight. The Verdiblancos will be without key figures, including Sofyan Amrabat, Ez Abde and Cedric Bakambu.

Morocco, playing on home soil, are strong favourites to go far, which could see Betis losing both Abde and Amrabat for more than a month.

Should the Atlas Lions reach the final, the club could be without them for up to seven matches — including fixtures against Rayo Vallecano, Murcia, Getafe, Real Madrid, Real Oviedo, potential Copa del Rey last-16 ties, and Villarreal.

Villarreal, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano also face multiple absences. Villarreal will be without Pape Gueye (Senegal) and Ilias Akhomach (Morocco), Sevilla lose Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke (both Nigeria), while Rayo will be missing Pathe Ciss (Senegal) and Randy Nteka (Angola).

For clubs near the bottom, such losses are particularly worrying. Levante and Girona, both battling relegation, will feel the impact acutely.

Girona, for instance, could be without Ounahi for up to four matches — against Atletico Madrid, Mallorca, Osasuna and Espanyol — if Morocco progress as expected. The midfielder has been instrumental for Michel's side this season.

Similarly, Levante will be missing striker Etta Eyong, who has started the campaign in excellent form. Should Cameroon reach the final, Levante would lose him for games against Sevilla, Real Madrid and Villarreal, on top of earlier fixtures against Cultural Leonesa and Real Sociedad.

Additional absentees include Flavien-Enzo Boyomo (Osasuna), Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid), Omar Mascarell (Mallorca), David Carmo (Real Oviedo) and Charles Pickel (Espanyol).

At a minimum, all will miss their clubs' first league fixture of 2026, with longer absences possible depending on their national team performances. With so many first-team players heading to Africa, La Liga clubs will need to adapt quickly to minimise the impact on their campaigns.

A. Ounahi

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