Nicolas Jackson: Senegal striker set to miss raft of key Chelsea fixtures due to AFCON involvement

In partnership with

Evening Standard

·18. Juni 2025

Nicolas Jackson: Senegal striker set to miss raft of key Chelsea fixtures due to AFCON involvement

Jackson could be absent for an FA Cup tie, but will be available for all Champions League bouts

Your matchday briefing on Chelsea, featuring team news and expert analysis from Malik Ouzia

OneFootball Videos

Sign up

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson could miss two London Derbies and the FA Cup third round while representing Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

AFCON, which determines the best national side in Africa, will be held in Morocco this year, between December 21, 2025, and January 18, 2026.

This means that Premier League sides will be without their African internationals for as much as four weeks through the crucial festive period.

Jackson and Senegal will look to recover from an underwhelming 2023 campaign, where they topped their group but fell to eventual champions Côte d’Ivoire in the round of 16, losing on penalties after drawing 1-1.

Jackson is facing a tough campaign at Chelsea. With Liam Delap signing from Ipswich and the Blues thought to be in the market for another striker, he is facing more competition for his starting spot than ever. He will start the campaign on the back foot, too, as he misses the season opener against Crystal Palace through a red card suspension.

The month-long break to attend AFCON will not help his case either, allowing Delap the run of the festive fixtures.

Now Chelsea’s fixture list has been revealed, it is clear exactly which matches Jackson will miss.

Should Senegal reach the latter stages of the tournament, he could stand to miss a pair of West London derbies as well as the FA Cup third round, Chelsea’s first involvement in the competition.

While he contests the group stage, where Senegal have been drawn alongside the DR Congo, Benin, and Botswana, he will miss League meetings with Manchester City, Newcastle, and Aston Villa, all of whom will play in Europe this season.

While AFCON does not clash with any Champions League matchday, Chelsea’s penultimate league phase match could be held just 48 hours after the AFCON final, which would throw Jackson’s involvement into jeopardy should Senegal reach that stage of the tournament.