2026 World Cup Qualifying: Salah returns, Nile League top scorer Ashour a surprise omission in Egypt squad

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has announced the squad for the upcoming international break, where the Pharaohs will face Ethiopia and Sierra Leone in the fifth and sixth rounds from Group A of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

2026 World Cup Qualifying: Group A table (4 matches played)

Star players including Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Manchester City’s big money signing Omar Marmoush have been called in. Other foreign-based players include former Al Ahly central defender Mohamed Abdelmonem (OGC Nice, France), attacker Trezeguet (Al Rayyan, Qatar) and Mostafa Mohamed (Nantes, France).

A surprising omission is Emam Ashour, the Al Ahly midfielder and current top scorer of the Nile Egyptian League, despite being fully fit. The squad includes forward Osama Faisal, another leading scorer in the league with nine goals for National Bank.

Egypt’s 24-man squad

Goalkeepers

Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly)

Mohamed Awad (Zamalek)

Mostafa Shobeir (Al Ahly)

Abdelaziz El Balouti (National Bank)

Defenders

Mohamed Hany (Al Ahly)

Ahmed Eid (Al Masry)

Mohamed Abdelmonem (Nice, France)

Rami Rabia (Al Ahly)

Khaled Sobhi (Al Masry)

Hossam Abdelmaguid (Zamalek)

Midfielders

Ahmed Nabil Koka (Al Ahly)

Marwan Attia (Al Ahly)

Mohamed Shehata (Zamalek)

Hamdy Fathy (Al Wakrah, Qatar)

Nabil Emad Dunga (Zamalek)

Mahmoud Saber (Smouha)

Forwards

Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet (Al Rayyan, Qatar)

Omar Marmoush (Manchester City, England)

Ibrahim Adel (Pyramids)

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, England)

Ahmed Sayed Zizo (Zamalek)

Mostafa Fathi (Pyramids)

Mostafa Mohamed (Nantes, France)

Osama Faisal (National Bank SC)

Upcoming fixtures

Ethiopia vs. Egypt – Friday, March 21, at 21:00 GMT in Casablanca, Morocco

Egypt vs. Sierra Leone – Tuesday, March 25, at 19:00 GMT in Cairo