Egypt: Hossam Hassan explains his choices for the 2026 World Cup squad

Africa 29 May 2026 at 02:00

Mohamed Rek

News Editor

28.05.26 FT Friendly International

Egypt

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Russia

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The Egyptian head coach, Hossam Hassan, made some strong statements during his press conference following the Pharaohs' victory over Russia (1-0), thanks to a goal scored by Mostafa Zico, as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup.

Egypt's squad for the World Cup features 27 players. Notably absent are Mostafa Mohamed, striker for FC Nantes, and Nasser Maher, midfielder for Pyramids FC. In contrast, Oktay Abdallah, forward for Enppi, and Hamza Abdelkarim, a young talent from FC Barcelona, have made the cut.

Hossam Hassan sets the record straight regarding the excluded players

The Egyptian tactician emphasized that he treats all his players fairly: "I am a fair coach. Mostafa Mohamed's absence is a purely technical decision. No one questions the England manager’s choices regarding call-ups or omissions."

He went on: "There are no personal issues with the excluded players. Every decision is based on technical criteria. The fact that a player plays in Egypt doesn't automatically guarantee him a place in the squad. We examined the profiles of more than 40 players."

Hossam Hassan also stated: "I would like to be treated like foreign coaches. When a foreign manager mentions a technical decision, nobody contests it. That's my perspective as well."

The Pharaohs’ boss also dismissed rumors of personal tensions with some of the excluded players: "Nasser Maher’s absence is solely for technical reasons. I called up Islam Issa to the squad when he didn’t even expect it."

Before the start of the 2026 World Cup, Omar Marmoush and his teammates will play a final warm-up match against Brazil on June 6 in Ohio, USA.

Friendly: Egypt edge Russia 1-0

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