It's an exciting day for fans of the Premier League, as the announcement of the fixtures for the upcoming season came this morning, meaning all 20 teams in the top flight know how their seasons will flow.
This year, however, will feature as a rather massive interruption, as the African Cup of Nations (or AFCON) is set to begin at the end of December, with 24 African nations set to face off against one another between December 20 and January 17, 2026.
From an Everton perspective, that competition includes Senegal, the international team for two of the Blues' key players: Iliman Ndiaye and, assuming he returns, Idrissa Gana Gueye. Beto, who plays internationally for Guinea-Bissau, will not be participating in the tournament.
If there were two names on the squad that Everton would least like to be without for an extended run of matches, Ndiaye and Gana are probably quite high on the list. This makes it all the more important that the club find ways to add depth at both positions this summer and look to add goals to the side.
It remains to be seen how big a role Ndiaye will play in Senegal's attack, with the likes of Sadio Mane of Al-Nassr, Nicholas Jackson of Chelsea, and Crystal Palace's Ismalia Sarr, not to mention Pape Matar Sarr from Tottenham and AS Monaco's Lamine Camara in midfield, leading the Senegalese goal scoring threat. But the Everton talisman will no doubt be on the squad.
And Gana will continue to be the engine in midfield as he is for Everton, adding further mileage to his legs.
With Senegal heading into Morocco among the favorites to hoist the trophy, it could be a long international "break" for the duo.
Senegal opens their group play against Botswana on December 22, two days after Everton host Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium, a match you would assume the Senegalese pair would miss to prepare for the competition.
After that, it's a trip to Turf Moor to take on newly promoted Burnley on December 27, followed by a quick trip to Nottingham Forest just three days later. The Toffees will host Brentford and Wolves four days apart to begin 2026, then a 10 day break before a trip to Villa Park on January 17, the same day as the AFCON final.
Best case, should Senegal make it all the way to the final, Everton may get their players back for the reverse fixture to the season opener against Leeds United on January 24.
That's six, possibly seven matches, where two key players will be missing. Even if the Lions of Teranga simply get out of their group as they'd be expected to, the earliest return would likely be the away match against Aston Villa.
It will be a tough test for Everton, but they won't be the only teams missing players, most notably, perhaps, being Egypt's Mohamed Salah, who could miss an equal run of games for Liverpool.
Still, it will be imperative to Everton to find a way to survive this run of matches without Ndiaye and Gana, and to find players who can step up in during their extended absences.