Egypt go to World Cup 2026 as seven-time African champions who have never won a World Cup match. Four appearances — 1934, 1990, 2018, 2026 — zero wins. The Pharaohs have been one of the continent's most dominant sides for decades and one of the tournament's most historically unsuccessful teams at the same time. That paradox surrounds everything about this squad. Mohamed Salah, who will almost certainly leave Liverpool this summer, captains for the last time at 33. Hamza Abdelkarim, 18 years old and the first Egyptian player at Barcelona, arrives as the possible face of the next era. Omar Marmoush went from Eintracht Frankfurt to Manchester City for €75 million and now brings that momentum to his first World Cup. Hossam Hassan — Egypt's all-time leading scorer who played at the 1990 World Cup himself — is the coach. Group G: Belgium, Iran, New Zealand.
How Egypt Got Here — Unbeaten in CAF, Salah's 9 Goals, 2 Conceded
Egypt's qualifying campaign was one of the most dominant in CAF. Hossam Hassan's side went unbeaten across the entire process — 26 points from 10 matches, 19 goals scored, just 2 conceded. They topped a group containing Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Djibouti and confirmed qualification on October 8, 2025 with a 3-0 win over Djibouti before completing the campaign with a 1-0 win over Guinea-Bissau.
Mohamed Salah was the engine of the campaign with 9 qualifying goals — more than a third of Egypt's total. The system Hossam Hassan has built is essentially an optimised delivery mechanism for Salah's finishing, with the full-backs and midfielders providing the width and crosses that allow him to operate in his most dangerous areas. The weakness that comes with that strength is the question every opponent will try to exploit: what happens when Salah is tightly marked?
The AFCON 2025 campaign also fed into the squad's confidence. Egypt went to the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and finished fourth — defeating Côte d'Ivoire in the quarter-finals before losing to Senegal in the semis and Nigeria in the third-place playoff on penalties. Salah became the first player in AFCON history to score against 11 different nations during the tournament. The squad arrived at World Cup 2026 preparations with momentum and a clear identity.
Key Players to Watch
The Official Squad: Salah's Last Dance, Marmoush at Man City and an 18-Year-Old From Barcelona
Egypt named four goalkeepers — an unusual choice for a 26-man squad. Mohamed El Shenawy leads from Al Ahly, with Mostafa Shobeir also from Al Ahly, El Mahdy Soliman from Zamalek and Mohamed Alaa from El Gouna. The depth in goalkeeping reflects the squad's domestic concentration: of the 26 players, only a handful are based outside Egypt or the Gulf.
The defence of nine carries the same domestic skew. Mohamed Abdelmonem of Nice — the first Egyptian in the club's history — is the most notable European-based defender, though he is recovering from an ACL injury suffered in April 2025 and his fitness for the tournament's early games is uncertain. Hamdy Fathy at Al Wakrah and Ramy Rabia at Al Ain bring Gulf experience. The rest of the unit — Mohamed Hany and Yasser Ibrahim at Al Ahly, Tarek Alaa, Hossam Abdelmaguid, Ahmed Fatouh at Zamalek and Karim Hafez at Pyramids — are all Egyptian-league-based.
The midfield is where the squad's most interesting European exports operate. Ibrahim Adel, who joined FC Nordsjælland permanently in May 2026, brings Danish football experience. Haissem Hassan at Real Oviedo — born in France, raised in European football, committed to Egypt — adds Spanish second-division quality. Mahmoud Trezeguet, Emam Ashour and Ahmed Zizo anchor the Al Ahly contingent, while Marwan Attia, Mohanad Lasheen and Mostafa Ziko provide Pyramids' input.
The attack is the headline. Salah and Marmoush together represent the most dangerous Egyptian forward pairing in the team's history at a World Cup. Behind them, Hamza Abdelkarim — 18 years old, Barcelona B, first Egyptian at the club, mentored personally by Salah — is the wild card that no opponent will have seen much footage of. Hossam Hassan has indicated Abdelkarim may be used from the bench as an impact option in tight games. The most notable absence in the forward group is Mostafa Mohamed of Nantes, whose poor form this season (4 goals in 24 matches for a relegated club) cost him his place.
Group G: Belgium, Iran and New Zealand — 92 Years Without a Win, Three Chances to End It
Egypt face Belgium on June 15 in Seattle, New Zealand on June 21 in Vancouver and Iran on June 26 in Seattle. The group structure gives Egypt a realistic path to their first-ever World Cup win — New Zealand on June 21 is the most accessible match — but Belgium on the opening day is a different proposition entirely. The Red Devils, with De Bruyne and Lukaku reunited at Napoli and a generation of attacking talent behind them, represent the biggest challenge Egypt could have faced in a group opener.
Egypt have played at four World Cups across 92 years and never won. The 1990 squad drew with the Netherlands and Ireland but lost to England. The 2018 squad — with Salah — lost all three matches. If Salah is fit and Marmoush is on form, the New Zealand match on June 21 is the moment to end that record. A win there would transform what the Iran match on June 26 means for Egypt's knockout prospects.
World Cup History
One to Watch — Mohamed Salah
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