Mohamed Salah to captain Egypt as squad announced for FIFA World Cup 2026

Nantes forward Mostafa Mohamed has been left out of Egypt’s preliminary ⁠squad for next ⁠month’s FIFA World Cup, but uncapped teenager Hamza Abdelkarim, who plays for the Barcelona under-19 team, has been included.

Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah ⁠will captain the squad and combine with Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush to lead the attack at the World Cup, which runs from June 11 ⁠to July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico, head coach Hossam Hassan announced on Wednesday.

One player will be dropped later to reduce the squad to the FIFA-mandated 26 players after Egypt’s last home ‌friendly against Russia in Cairo on May 28, before heading to the US.

Mostafa was a surprise omission, even though he has struggled for form with only four goals in 24 matches this season for Nantes, as the French club were relegated from Ligue 1.

Abdelkarim, by contrast, has been in great form for the Barcelona youth team and is one of the most promising ⁠forward talents in Egyptian football.

Egypt will play Brazil in ⁠a friendly in Cleveland on June 6 before opening their World Cup campaign against Belgium in Seattle nine days later.

They then face New Zealand in Vancouver, Canada, on June 21, before ⁠returning to Seattle five days later to round out their Group G matches against Iran.

Egypt squad:

Goalkeepers: Mohamed ⁠El Shenawy (Al Ahly), Mostafa Shobeir (Al Ahly), El Mahdi ⁠Soliman (Zamalek), Mohamed Alaa (El Gouna)

Defenders: Mohamed Hany (Al Ahly), Tarek Alaa (Zed), Hamdy Fathy (Al Wakrah), Rami Rabia (Al Ain), Yasser Ibrahim (Al Ahly), Hossam Abdelmaguid (Zamalek), Mohamed Abdelmonemn (Nice), Ahmed Fatouh (Zamalek), Karim Hafez (Pyramids)

Midfielders: Marwan Ateya (Al Ahly), Mohanad ‌Lasheen (Pyramids), Nabil Emad (Al Najma), Mahmoud Saber (Zed), Ahmed Zizo (Al Ahly), Emam Ashour (Al Ahly), Mostafa Ziko (Pyramids), Mahmoud Trezeguet (Al Ahly), Ibrahim Adel (Nordsjaelland), Haissem Hassan (Real Ovideo)

Forwards: Omar Marmoush (Manchester ‌City), ‌Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Aqtay Abdallah (Enppi), Hamza Abdelkarim (Barcelona U19) (Reporting by Mohamed Yossry in Cairo, additional reporting by Ahmed El Khashab and Bassem Zahran, editing by Nick Mulvenney and Peter Rutherford)