Egypt Announces 26-Player Squad for 2026 World Cup with Key Omissions

Hossam Hassan, the head coach of Egypt's national football team, delivered a shock to several players by excluding them from the final 26-player squad set to travel to the United States for the 2026 World Cup.

The tournament will be hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

Egypt will participate in the World Cup for the fourth time in its history, having previously appeared in the 1934, 1990, and 2018 editions. The team was drawn into Group G alongside Belgium, Iran, and New Zealand.

The Egyptian delegation is scheduled to depart for the United States on Saturday evening to prepare for the competition. Their final friendly match before the tournament will be against Brazil on June 6 in Ohio.

In preparation for the World Cup, Egypt secured a 1-0 friendly victory over Russia in a match held at the Administrative Capital Stadium.

The list of excluded players includes several prominent names who had featured under Hossam Hassan's leadership recently. Among those omitted are Mostafa Mohamed, the striker for Nantes in France; Mohamed Shahat, a midfielder for Zamalek; and Ahmed El-Shenawy, goalkeeper for Pyramids.

Despite these exclusions, the only player removed from the preliminary squad before final approval was Abdullah Oktay, a forward for Enppi. The initial roster contained 27 players before being trimmed to 26 in accordance with tournament regulations.

The final Egypt squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Mohamed El-Shenawy, Mostafa Shobeir, Al-Mahdi Suleiman, Mohamed Alaa.

Defenders: Mohamed Hany, Tarek Alaa, Hamdy Fathi, Rami Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Hossam Abdel Meguid, Mohamed Abdel Monem, Ahmed Fattouh, Karim Hafez.

Midfielders: Marwan Attia, Mohand Lasheen, Nabil Emad "Donga", Mahmoud Saber, Ahmed Sayed "Zizo", Imam Ashour, Mostafa Abdel Raouf "Zico", Mahmoud Hassan "Trezeguet", Ibrahim Adel, Haitham Hassan, Mohamed Salah.

Forwards: Omar Marmoush, Hamza Abdel Karim.