#6. Egypt 🇪🇬
Population: 110 million
Nickname: The Pharaohs
Appearances: 26th
Last Appearance: 2021
Coach: Rui Vitoria (Portugal)
Best AFCON results: 7 times winners (1957,1959,1986,1998,2006,2008,2010)
Skipper: Mohammed Salah
Player to watch: Mohammed Salah
Region: UNAF
CAF Rankings: 5th
FIFA Rankings: 33
Most caps: Ahmed Hassan (184)
Top scorer: Hossam Hassan (68)
Egypt is in a red-hot form going into 2023 AFCON. Rui Vitoria’s Pharaohs are ranked 33rd in the world and 5th on the continent due to massive improvement in 2023 as they have lost only one in 10 matches. Tunisia defeated Egypt 3-1 in a friendly match in September with 8 wins recorded and one draw against Algeria.
They began the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with a bang as they defeated Djibouti (6-0) and Sierra Leone (2-0).
Superstar Mohamed Salah is in the form of his life as 110 million people will be looking forward to seeing him replicating his Liverpool form in the national team. Egypt is the most successful team in AFCON history with 7 wins as the last one was a 1-0 triumph over Ghana in Angola in 2010. They have finished as runner-up twice in the last 3 editions which shows how experienced they are in this tournament.
Expectations are high as Egyptian football is back to its best with Al Ahly dominating club football on the continent and Mohammed Salah is among the best players in the world.
No one can bet against Egypt winning their 8th AFCON because they are the favourites once again per most bookies.
The core of the team
Egypt has a spine of Al Ahly with Mohammed El Shenawy as the undisputed number 1 with Hany, and Abdelmonem at the back. The midfield of Mohammed El Neny, Ateya and Fathi is a solid one.
Mohammed Salah, Mostapha Mohamed Trezeguet and Omar Marmoush form the attack for Egypt.
Probable 11
El Shenawy
Hani, Yasser Ibrahim, Abdelmonem, Hamdi
El Neny, Ateya, Fathi
Salah, Mostapha, Trezeguet
Notable Legends
Mohammed Aboutrika, Mo Salah, Hossam Hasan, Essam El-Hadary, Hassan Shehata, El-Gohary, Abdelrahman Fawzi, Mido, Ad-diba,
Expectations
Win
Fixtures
Egypt v Mozambique
Egypt v Ghana
Cape Verde v Egypt
