FACTBOX on Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers Egypt.
Africa Cup of Nations record:
Previous appearances in finals: (25) 1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2019, 2021
Best performance: Winners 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010
Drawn in Group B with the Cape Verde Islands, Ghana and Mozambique.
Coach: Rui Vitoria
The 53-year-old Portuguese has been in charge of the Egyptian side for the last 18 months after signing a four-year deal in July 2022. After a modest playing career in the lower reaches of the Portuguese leagues, he made his name as a coach at Vitoria Guimaraes, leading them to cup success over Benfica in 2013. The Lisbon Giants signed him to coach them in 2015 and he won two successive league titles with Benfica. He has also won the championship in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr.
Key player: Mohamed Salah.
Age: 31. Forward.
There will again be expectations on Salah’s shoulders as Egypt look to him to return them to winning ways, particularly after the disappointment of losing on penalties to Senegal in the last final in Cameroon. The Liverpool forward has won two African Footballer of the Year awards and become a global icon after a career which has also included spells at Basel, Chelsea, Fiorentina and AS Roma. Salah, Liverpool’s leading Premier League goalscorer, made his international debut in 2011 and has since won 93 caps for his country, with the possibility to reach 100 if Egypt do well in the Ivory Coast.
FIFA world ranking Dec 2023: 33
How they qualified: Top placed team in Group D, ahead of Guinea, Malawi and Ethiopia.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Mohamed Abou Gabal (National Bank), Ahmed El Shennawy (Pyramids), Mohamed El Shennawy (Al Ahly), Mohamed Sobhi (Zamalek)
Defenders: Mohamed Abdelmoneim (Al Ahly), Ahmed Fatouh (Zamalek), Ali Gabr, Osama Galal, Mohamed Hamdy (all Pyramids), Mohamed Hany (Al Ahly), Ahmed Hegazi (Al Ittihad), Yasser Ibrahim (Al Ahly), Omar Kamal (Future), Ahmed Samy (Pyramids)
Midfielders: Emam Ashour, Marwan Attia (both Al Ahly), Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal), Hamdi Fathi (Pyramids), Mahmoud Hamada (Al Ahly), Mohanad Lashin (Pyramids), Ahmed Zizo (Zamalek)
Forwards: Mostafa Fathi (Pyramids), Mahmoud Kahraba (Al Ahly), Ahmed Hassan Kouka (Pendikspor), Omar Marmoush (Eintracht Frankfurt), Mostafa Mohamed (Nantes), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Mahmoud Trezeguet (Trabzonspor).
