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.
Egypt’s previous Isn’t friendlies4-0 🇸🇦0-0 🇪🇸1-0 🇷🇺Egypt concluded their home-based preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 1-0 friendly victory over Russia, lifting the New Capital Cup. Don’t sleep on them! pic.twitter.com/FcntUGbkrh
— Bambe Wanneh Giovanni (@BambeWanneh) May 29, 2026
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
Piala Dunia 2026
Piala Dunia FIFA 2026 akan menjadi edisi paling revolusioner dalam sejarah sepak bola dunia. Turnamen ini untuk pertama kalinya akan diselenggarakan di tiga negara sekaligus, yaitu Amerika Serikat, Kanada, dan Meksiko. Selain itu, jumlah peserta juga meningkat dari 32 menjadi 48 tim, membuka peluang lebih besar bagi negara-negara dari berbagai konfederasi untuk tampil di panggung global. Format baru ini akan menghadirkan lebih banyak pertandingan, atmosfer kompetisi yang lebih luas, serta jangkauan penonton yang semakin besar di seluruh dunia.
Dengan skala yang jauh lebih besar, FIFA menargetkan turnamen ini sebagai ajang yang tidak hanya kompetitif tetapi juga spektakuler dari sisi teknologi dan pengalaman penonton. Stadion-stadion modern di berbagai kota tuan rumah telah dipersiapkan untuk menghadirkan pertandingan berkelas dunia, didukung oleh inovasi seperti peningkatan sistem VAR dan pengalaman digital bagi fans. diprediksi akan menjadi tonggak baru dalam evolusi sepak bola internasional, memperkuat popularitas olahraga ini sekaligus menciptakan momen-momen bersejarah yang akan dikenang dalam waktu lama.
