When to start anticoagulation in patients with an acute ischaemic stroke and atrial fibrillation (AF) is a relevant unanswered question in clinical practice. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are highly effective for secondary stroke prevention in these patients, but DOACs were never initiated <7 days after stroke onset in recent trials. The ELAN trial will determine the net benefit of early versus late initiation of DOACs in patients with acute ischaemic stroke related to AF.