Egypt have left Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed out of their preliminary World Cup squad, opting instead to include promising Barcelona U19 forward Hamza Abdelkarim. Mohamed’s omission comes after a tough season with Nantes, where he managed just four goals and the club suffered relegation from Ligue 1.
Mohamed Salah will captain the team, leading the attack alongside Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush at the tournament running from June 11 to July 19 across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Abdelkarim’s selection highlights his strong performances at the youth level and signals Egypt’s focus on emerging talent.
Coach Hossam Hassan will reduce the squad to 26 after a friendly against Russia in Cairo on May 28. Egypt also face Brazil in Cleveland on June 6, ahead of their Group G opener against Belgium in Seattle. The Pharaohs will then play New Zealand and Iran in the group stage.
Egypt’s Preliminary Squad:
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El Shenawy, Mostafa Shobeir, El Mahdi Soliman, Mohamed Alaa
Defenders: Mohamed Hany, Tarek Alaa, Hamdy Fathy, Rami Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Hossam Abdelmaguid, Mohamed Abdelmonemn, Ahmed Fatouh, Karim Hafez
Midfielders: Marwan Ateya, Mohanad Lasheen, Nabil Emad, Mahmoud Saber, Ahmed Zizo, Emam Ashour, Mostafa Ziko, Mahmoud Trezeguet, Ibrahim Adel, Haissem Hassan
Forwards: Omar Marmoush, Mohamed Salah, Aqtay Abdallah, Hamza Abdelkarim
Egypt’s preparations include key friendlies as they look to make a strong showing in a tough World Cup group.
