CAIRO — The Egyptian Football Association has officially announced its preliminary 27-player squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

The selection, compiled by head coach Hossam Hassan, relies on a core group of proven European and domestic stars. Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah captains the side, alongside Manchester City attacker Omar Marmoush, Al Ahly's Trezeguet, and Nice defender Mohamed Abdelmonem.

The roster also produced significant talking points across the Egyptian football landscape. Nantes forward Mostafa Mohamed was entirely omitted from the selection following a quiet domestic campaign in France, while Zamalek duo Mohamed Shehata and Nasser Mansi also missed out on the final cut.

Egypt's Preliminary 27-Man World Cup Squad

    •    Goalkeepers: Mohamed Alaa, Mohamed El Shenawy, Mostafa Shobeir, El Mahdy Soliman.

    •    Defenders: Hossam Abdelmagid, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Tarek Alaa, Ahmed Fatouh, Karim Hafez, Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim, Rami Rabia.

    •    Midfielders: Emam Ashour, Marwan Attia, Nabil Emad, Hamdi Fathi, Haitham Hassan, Mohannad Lashin, Mahmoud Saber, Mahmoud Hassan "Trezeguet", Mostafa Zico, Ahmed Sayed "Zizo".

    •    Forwards: Aqtay Abdullah, Hamza Abdulkarim, Ibrahim Adel, Omar Marmoush, Mohamed Salah.

Note: All team rosters remain provisional until FIFA publishes the finalized 26-man lists on June 2.

Injecting Youth into the Ranks

While established veterans form the backbone of the team, Hassan has integrated five uncapped players into the senior camp ahead of the tournament.

Among the fresh faces is highly rated 18-year-old forward Hamza Abdulkarim, who has drawn attention in Spain while on loan with Barcelona's youth ranks from Al Ahly. Joining him in the potential debutant category is ENPPI forward Aqtay Abdullah, whose strong performances in the Egyptian Premier League earned him a spot in the structural rebuild of the national team's attack.

The influx of young attacking talent is expected to provide tactical versatility behind Salah and Marmoush, giving the Pharoahs multiple look configurations against varied opposition.

Warm-up Schedule and Group G Roadmap

The Pharaohs are scheduled to enter their final training camp this week to prepare for a pair of high-profile international friendly matches. Egypt will face Russia on May 28 before traveling to take on Brazil a week later on June 4. The exhibition matches will serve as the final evaluation phase before Hassan trims the roster down to the mandatory 26 players.

Egypt has been drawn into Group G for the tournament proper, facing a challenging cross-continental path to the knockout rounds.

The team will open its World Cup campaign against Belgium on June 15 at the Seattle Stadium. The Pharaohs will then travel north to face New Zealand on June 21 at BC Place in Vancouver, before returning to Seattle on June 26 for their final group-stage fixture against Iran.

Head coach Hossam Hassan names a 27-man preliminary roster featuring a balance of established stars and five potential international debutants.