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Ezekiel - June 3, 2026
Egypt have never won a World Cup game in the modern era and that is not something that gets discussed nearly enough when people talk about this team. They went out in the group stage in 1990 and again in 2018, and their one appearance in 1934 came in a completely different format. For a country with over 100 million people who absolutely live and breathe football, that truth sits very uncomfortably and it has done for a long time.
What is different in 2026 is Salah, but not just Salah the player. It is Mo Salah the man who left Liverpool this summer after 442 appearances and 257 goals, a career that put him among the greatest players in Premier League history, and who arrives at this World Cup with the kind of personal hunger that comes from having achieved everything at club level and almost nothing at international level.
Salah turns 34 on the day of the opening match against Belgium, and while nothing is confirmed about whether this will be his last World Cup, another appearance in 2030 at the age of 38 looks highly unlikely. This tournament has a very particular significance for him.
Egypt are drawn in Group G of the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Belgium, Iran and New Zealand.
“This is our chance. We have the players, we have the belief and we have everything to play for.” – Hossam Hassan
Appearances: 4 | Best finish: Group stage (1990, 2018) | 7x AFCON Champions
1934: Their first World Cup appearance came in a round of 16 format and they lost 4-2 to Hungary, which ended their tournament before the group stage format even existed.
1990: Back after a 56-year absence, they finished bottom of a group with England, Ireland and the Netherlands without scoring a single goal across three matches.
2018: Their most recent appearance before this tournament, drawn in a group with Uruguay, Portugal and Russia. Lost all three games despite Salah scoring twice, including a famous penalty against the hosts.
2026: Fourth appearance overall with the strongest squad Egypt have ever brought to a World Cup in terms of attacking quality, and the biggest individual talent in their history leading the way.
Egyptian · Age 58 · Egypt manager since 2024 · Former Egypt player · 69 international goals — Egypt’s all-time record
Hossam Hassan is the most iconic figure in Egyptian football history and the fact that his own captain is chasing his all-time scoring record of 69 goals gives this squad one of the most compelling storylines at the entire tournament. Hassan scored those 69 goals in 176 appearances for Egypt, a record that has stood for over two decades, and he now sits in the dugout watching Salah close in on it with every game.
As a manager he has been solid rather than spectacular. Egypt qualified comfortably from their African group with Salah scoring nine goals in the campaign, and the squad Hassan has assembled around his captain is the strongest Egypt have brought to a World Cup from a pure attacking standpoint. Whether his tactical approach can get results against Belgium and Iran is the question that will define his time in charge.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Hassan sets Egypt up in a 4-2-3-1 formation designed to protect the defensive structure first and give Salah the freedom to cause damage from the right side of the attack. The double pivot sits deep and screens the back four, allowing the three attacking midfielders to operate with relative freedom ahead of them and giving Salah in particular the license to drift inside and find the pockets of space he has exploited so effectively throughout his career.
When this formation works, Egypt are a genuinely difficult team to break down and Salah’s movement and finishing make them dangerous on the counter. The problem comes when they fall behind and need to chase a game, because the creativity in this squad outside of Salah and Marmoush drops off significantly and the domestic-based players who make up the bulk of the squad have limited experience of high-pressure situations against top opposition.
Forward · Free agent (left Liverpool) · Age 33 | Egypt caps: 116 | International goals: 67 | Two goals from Hassan’s all-time record
Salah has 67 goals in 116 appearances for Egypt, sitting just two behind his own manager’s all-time record of 69. He ended his Liverpool career having made 442 appearances and scoring 257 goals for the club, a record that puts him in the conversation for the greatest player in their history.
At the 2018 World Cup he scored twice but Egypt lost all three games and left the tournament without a single point from those two goals.
He turns 34 on the day of the opening match against Belgium, and on his best day, in a game that matters, Salah is still a match-winner against anyone. The storyline of breaking his manager’s scoring record at a World Cup is the kind of personal motivation that produces extraordinary moments. This is almost certainly his last chance to do something on the world stage that matches his club legacy.
Forward · Manchester City · Age 26 | 2025 AFCON: 2 goals
Marmoush had a tough first full season at Manchester City, managing eight goals and three assists across 39 appearances in all competitions, which was well below the level City paid big money to get.
Regardless, he is still a dangerous forward with smart movement and a physical presence that creates real problems for central defenders, and at the 2025 AFCON he finished as Egypt’s second top scorer with two goals behind only Salah’s four.
If the tournament stage frees him from the weight of underperforming at club level, Marmoush could still be a significant player for Egypt here.
Goalkeeper · Al Ahly · Age 37
El-Shenawy is Egypt’s first choice goalkeeper and one of the most experienced figures in the entire squad. He has spent the bulk of his career at Al Ahly, where he has won more trophies than most goalkeepers will see in a lifetime, and he brings a commanding presence in the penalty area and a composure under pressure that gives the Egyptian defence a reliable base to work from.
Against Belgium in particular, when shots and crosses will arrive in significant numbers, having a goalkeeper who does not panic and who organises his defenders clearly is a necessity.
Forward · Barcelona B (loan from Al Ahly) · Age 18
Abdelkarim is the wildcard inclusion in this squad and the name that Egyptian football fans have been excited about for two years. He is 18 years old, currently on loan at Barcelona’s reserve team from Al Ahly, and Hassan’s decision to include him ahead of more experienced domestic-based forwards has divided opinion.
But if he gets time on the pitch and is given the freedom that a young player without the weight of expectations can sometimes find at tournament level, he has the raw ability to become one of the genuine stories of this group stage.
Egypt are good enough to finish second in Group G and the prediction rests almost entirely on Salah and Marmoush, which tells you something about both the opportunity and the risk in this squad.
If they get on the scoresheet against Belgium in the opening game and Egypt take at least a point from it, the path to qualification through wins against New Zealand and a draw with Iran becomes very clear. If Belgium shut them out and Egypt lose heavily on the first day, the confidence could evaporate quickly in a squad so reliant on both players.
The betting angle is Salah to score at any point during the group stage. The storyline around him closing in on Hassan’s all-time record and making the most of what could well be his final World Cup is the kind of motivation that tends to produce goals.
Salah scored nine in qualifying, scored twice at the 2018 World Cup and the combination of personal pride and national expectation creates exactly the conditions where his best football tends to come out.
For all our World Cup 2026 predictions and analysis visit LeagueLane
