Table of Contents
Egypt have officially confirmed their 27-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Head coach Hossam Hassan named the group yesterday, with the final cut to 26 players to follow after a friendly against Russia on May 28. The camp opens today at the National Teams Centre in Cairo as the Pharaohs begin their final preparations for a tournament they have not appeared at since Russia 2018, where they lost all three group matches.
The squad does not carry many surprises at the top. Mohamed Salah is named as captain and leads the attacking group. The Liverpool forward, who confirmed his departure from Anfield at the end of the season, arrives at a World Cup he has described as one of the most important moments of his career. He is two goals away from equalling the Egyptian national team scoring record of 69, currently held by Hossam Hassan himself. The symmetry of a player breaking his own coach's record at a World Cup is the kind of story that writes itself.
Omar Marmoush, who followed a remarkable campaign at Eintracht Frankfurt with a move to Manchester City, partners Salah in what is the most potent Egyptian attacking combination the country has ever taken to a World Cup. His pace, movement off the ball, and ability to find space behind defensive lines gives Hassan a second genuine threat at the top of the pitch rather than a support act. Egypt's group stage opponents will need to account for both men from the first whistle.
The Wildcard
The inclusion that has generated the most discussion since the squad was announced is Hamza Abdelkarim. The 18-year-old is a prospect from FC Barcelona's youth system who has been turning heads in Spanish development football. His name was not widely expected to appear on this list. At 18, going to a World Cup without senior international experience of any significance is a significant step, and Hassan's decision to include him suggests either that the coaching staff have seen something in training that justifies the faith, or that the squad is built with one eye on the 2027 AFCON cycle as much as the 2026 tournament. Either way, Abdelkarim's presence is the selection that will be most debated in the coming weeks, as reported by World Soccer Talk and beIN Sports.
The Omissions That Matter
Ferjani Sassi is absent. The Al-Gharafa midfielder has been a consistent figure in Egyptian football for a decade and was part of their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign. His omission, along with former captain Yassine Meriah and veteran winger Naim Sliti, signals that Lamouchi, who named his Tunisia squad on the same theme, and Hassan are both making similar calculations: experienced players from the 2022 cycle are being set aside in favour of younger profiles who will be central to African football's next phase. It is a deliberate generational shift, not a squad selection driven purely by current form.
The squad includes only six players from the 2022 World Cup group: a turnover rate that is significant for a tournament that arrives eight years after Egypt's last appearance. Hassan's philosophy, as reported by beIN Sports and Ahram Online, is balance across the pitch rather than dependence on star names. The four goalkeepers named, El-Shenawy, Shobeir, Soliman, and Mohamed Alaa, give him options at every experience level.
The Group and What It Demands
Egypt face Belgium in Seattle on June 15, New Zealand in Vancouver on June 21, and Iran at Lumen Field on June 27. The group is the most realistic qualification pathway Egypt could have hoped for from the draw. Belgium are strong but not at the level of the 2018 golden generation. New Zealand are at the World Cup on merit but are a manageable opponent for an Egyptian side at full strength. Iran, who Egypt have faced before, are organised and disciplined but not beyond a team with Salah and Marmoush in form.
Egypt have never won a World Cup match across seven attempts going back to 1934 and 1990. Salah arrived at Russia 2018 carrying a shoulder injury from the Champions League final and played through it with limited effectiveness. In North America this summer, fit and in a partnership with Marmoush that represents the best attacking combination the country has assembled, the opportunity to end that record is genuine. The squad named yesterday is the vehicle for it. Whether it arrives at the tournament in condition to deliver is what the next three weeks will determine.
Full Squad
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El-Shenawy (Al Ahly), Mostafa Shobeir (Al Ahly), El-Mahdi Soliman (Ittihad Alexandria), Mohamed Alaa (Al Ittihad). Defenders: Mohamed Hani, Tarek Alaa, Hamdi Fathi, Rami Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Hossam Abdelmagid, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Ahmed Fattouh, Karim Hafez. Midfielders: Marwan Attia, Mohannad Lasheen, Nabil Emad Dunga, Mahmoud Saber, Ahmed Sayed Zizo, Emam Ashour, Mostafa Ziko, Mahmoud Trezeguet, Ibrahim Adel, Haitham Hassan (Real Oviedo), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool). Forwards: Omar Marmoush (Manchester City), Oktay Abdullah (Trabzonspor), Hamza Abdelkarim (Barcelona youth). Group fixtures: Belgium, June 15, Seattle. New Zealand, June 21, Vancouver. Iran, June 27, Seattle.
