AFCON 2025: Super Eagles Risk Heavy Fines Over New CAF Regulations

AFCON 2025: Super Eagles Risk Heavy Fines Over New CAF Regulations

Sampson Adedeji

Nigeria’s Super Eagles and several other participating nations at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco risk facing heavy sanctions after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) unveiled new competition regulations on Wednesday, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Although Nigeria has already released a 55-man provisional squad for the tournament, CAF has now mandated that all countries must submit their final squad list at least 10 days before the opening match.

Any federation that fails to meet the deadline will be slammed with a $10,000 fine. CAF also introduced additional rules to guide team movements and match preparations throughout the tournament: Only 18 players from each team will be allowed to travel between cities for matches, whether by air, road or rail.

Teams travelling from Rabat to Casablanca must do so on the morning of the match, while those heading to other host cities are permitted to move a day before their fixtures.

Countries expected to travel during the group stage include Zimbabwe, South Africa, Angola, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Botswana, DR Congo, Benin, Mozambique, Cameroon, Gabon, Comoros, Mali, Zambia, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea.

Teams will not be allowed to hold full training sessions at match venues on the eve of games. Instead, they may only visit and familiarize themselves with the stadium between 2pm and 9pm, and only with prior CAF approval.

The new regulations are designed to streamline logistics and ensure uniformity in team preparations as Morocco hosts Africa’s biggest football showpiece.

With the countdown to AFCON 2025 underway, national teams are expected to adjust quickly to the changes or risk financial penalties.