#egypt-national-team

#egypt-national-team

Much of the spotlight will fall on Mohamed Salah, who is contesting his fifth AFCON and third as captain, aware that this edition could represent his final opportunity to claim continental glory with his country. The Liverpool forward was part of the squads that reached the finals in 2017 and 2021 and will be eager to finally get his hands on the trophy and cement his legacy in African football.

It has been a hectic few weeks for the 33-year-old, first being benched for three consecutive games by Liverpool boss Arne Slot, before the winger himself blew the story open by telling journalists he'd been thrown under the bus. That led to the winger being omitted from the Reds' travelling squad to face Inter Milan, before crunch talks between the head coach and Salah saw him readmitted to the first team.

The Egypt World Cup 2026 squad is shaping up. Led by Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, two of the Premier League's brightest stars, they may spring a surprise or two in Canada, Mexico and the United States next summer. November saw them take on two fellow sides who qualified for the tournament next summer but now they have a break, with two more competitions available to win before heading off to North America.

Salah's Egypt are the leaders in Group A of the CAF qualifying process for next summer's World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico. They have won six of their eight games so far and drawn the other two, putting them on 20 points with a handy five-point lead over second-placed Burkina Faso. Victory against Djibouti will mathematically guarantee their ticket to the World Cup.