Hossam Hassan Names Egypt's Provisional World Cup Squad: Salah Included, Mostafa Mohamed Misses Out

Egypt national team coach Hossam Hassan has unveiled the preliminary squad for the "Pharaohs" ahead of their participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, scheduled to take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico between June 11 and July 19 next year.

The squad comprises 27 players, with one set to be excluded following the upcoming friendly match against Russia on May 28. Hassan's selections feature prominent Egyptian stars, led by Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Manchester City's Omar Marmoush, alongside Mahmoud Hassan "Trezeguet" and Ahmed Sayed "Zizo". The list also includes promising young talents, most notably Barcelona's Hamza Abdel Karim.

Conversely, Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed and Zamalek midfielder Mohamed Shehata were omitted from the squad, as the coach decided to exclude them from the current training camp.

The full preliminary squad for Egypt's World Cup campaign is as follows:

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

Defenders: Mohamed Hany (Al Ahly), Hamdy Fathy (Al Wakrah SC, Qatar), Ramy Rabia (Al Ain FC, UAE), Yasser Ibrahim (Al Ahly), Hossam Abdelmaguid (Zamalek), Mohamed Abdelmonem (OGC Nice, France), Karim Hafez (Pyramids FC), Ahmed Abou El Fotouh (Zamalek), Tarek Alaa (ZED FC).

Midfielders: Marwan Attia (Al Ahly), Mohanad Lasheen (Pyramids FC), Emam Ashour (Al Ahly), Mahmoud Saber (ZED FC), Nabil Emad (Al Najma SC, Saudi Arabia), Mostafa Ziko (Pyramids FC).

Forwards: Mahmoud Hassan "Trezeguet" (Al Ahly), Ahmed Sayed "Zizo" (Al Ahly), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool FC, England), Haitham Hassan (Real Oviedo, Spain), Omar Marmoush (Manchester City FC, England), Hamza Abdel Karim (FC Barcelona, Spain), Ibrahim Adel (FC Nordsjælland, Denmark), Oktay Abdallah (ENPPI).

Egypt will compete in Group G of the World Cup alongside Belgium, Iran, and New Zealand.