As the much-anticipated 2025 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco, the continent once again turns its attention to the players capable of shaping moments, matches and memories until the final whistle on January 18.
Africa’s premier tournament has built the legacies of many greats on the continent, including Roger Milla, Abedi Pele, Rashidi Yekini, Kalusha Bwalya, Jay-Jay Okocha, Samuel Eto’o, Christopher Katongo, Hossam Hassan and Didier Drogba, among others.
The 2025 edition is not short of quality, with reigning CAF African Player of the Year Achraf Hakimi leading the cast, while Egypt’s Mohamed Salah could be featuring at his final AFCON.
Victor Osimhen, Bryan Mbeumo, Wilfried Zaha, Mohamed Amoura and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are among the other stars set to light up Morocco.
However, the cast could have been even bigger, with several high-profile names missing due to failure to qualify, injuries, rehabilitation and internal conflicts.
Here are some of the stars who will not be in Morocco for Africa’s biggest football feast:
Hakim Ziyech (Morocco)
Ziyech misses out after being left out of Morocco’s squad as he continues rehabilitation following his move to Wydad AC.
The winger was integral during the qualifiers, scoring twice against Gabon, and remains one of the most gifted African players in recent memory. He also played a key role as Morocco made a historic run to the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
With attacking options such as Brahim Diaz, Youssef En-Nesyri, Ayoub El Kaabi and Soufiane Rahimi, head coach Walid Regragui will feel he has enough firepower.
Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon)
Vincent Aboubakar headlines a list of notable absentees from the Cameroon squad, which also includes goalkeeper André Onana, Frank Zambo Anguissa and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
While Anguissa is injured, the others were omitted for unspecified reasons following turmoil that saw FA president Samuel Eto’o sack head coach Marc Brys and replace him with David Pagou.
Aboubakar is 12 goals shy of Eto’o’s all-time Cameroon scoring record. He captained the Indomitable Lions to the 2017 AFCON title and finished as top scorer at the 2021 tournament on home soil with eight goals.
Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)
Yoane Wissa was left out of the DR Congo squad by coach Sébastien Desabre due to a lack of sufficient playing time.
The forward had just returned from a long injury lay-off and had yet to make his debut for Newcastle following a €67 million move from Brentford. His last appearance was on September 9 in a World Cup qualifier against Senegal, where he suffered knee discomfort.
Wissa was instrumental at the 2023 AFCON, scoring twice as DR Congo finished fourth, losing the third-place play-off to South Africa on penalties. His performances earned him a place in the Team of the Tournament.
He scored 19 goals for Brentford last season and was widely expected to shine again on the AFCON stage.
Serhou Guirassy (Guinea)
Serhou Guirassy will miss the tournament after Guinea failed to qualify, finishing third in Group F behind DR Congo and Tanzania.
The striker scored six goals during qualification, only bettered by Morocco’s Brahim Diaz.
Guirassy enjoyed an outstanding season with Borussia Dortmund, scoring 26 goals to finish joint second in the Bundesliga Golden Boot race behind Harry Kane, earning a place in the Team of the Season. He also finished joint top scorer in the UEFA Champions League with 13 goals.
This season, he has scored 13 goals in 29 appearances across all competitions for Dortmund.
Mohammed Kudus (Ghana)
Mohammed Kudus and Ghana will also be absent after a disastrous qualification campaign that saw the Black Stars finish bottom of a group containing Angola, Sudan and Niger.
Ghana scored just three goals in six matches, with none coming from Kudus.
The West Africans have since bounced back by qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, topping a group that included Mali, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros and Chad, with Kudus scoring twice.
Now at Tottenham after joining from West Ham, Kudus’ impact cannot be judged solely by goals. Operating mainly as a right-sided attacking midfielder, he remains a constant threat with his creativity and ball-carrying ability.
He is one of several Ghanaian stars, including André Ayew, who will watch the tournament from home.
Honorary mentions: Sébastien Haller (Ivory Coast), Victor Boniface (Nigeria), William Troost-Ekong (Nigeria), Antoine Semenyo (Ghana), Marshall Munetsi (Zimbabwe), Ilay Camara (Senegal), among others.