Salah Captained Egypt to Their First World Cup Win

Mohamed Salah captained Egypt to their first World Cup win, a 3-1 comeback against New Zealand, before a 3-2 last-16 loss to Argentina. Hossam Hassan’s May squad, built around that captaincy and a Barcelona teenager instead of Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed, is no longer a preview. It is a completed bet.

The Pharaohs drew Belgium, beat New Zealand, drew Iran, then won a first knockout tie on penalties against Australia in Arlington. In Atlanta they led the holders 2-0 and still went home.

Hassan Bet on Salah and Left Mostafa Mohamed Home

Hassan put Salah, then still at Liverpool, in the armband for Egypt’s fourth World Cup and paired him up front with Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush. The shock was the player who never made the plane. Mohamed, a regular in recent Egypt sides, was left out of the first group of 27 even after a full season in France.

Nantes went down from Ligue 1. Mohamed scored 4 goals in 24 league matches. Hassan would not dress the cut as a form story when he spoke after a 1-0 friendly win over Russia on May 28 in Cairo.

Top players around the world get left out, and things go on normally. In Egypt, we are used to saying that when a foreign coach excludes a player, it is simply the coach’s vision and philosophy. No one questions a foreign coach about his choices. So, consider me a foreign coach.

Hossam Hassan, Egypt coach, post-match press conference after Russia

He added that he did not care about a player’s name or club, and that the calls were technical. The same night he kept Barcelona forward Hamza Abdelkarim, 18, who had almost no senior minutes for Egypt. Enppi forward Aqtay Abdallah, named in the preliminary 27-man World Cup list, was the one cut after Russia so the party met FIFA’s 26-player cap.

THE CAMPAIGN CALENDAR

1. May 20, 2026: Hassan names the preliminary 27, with Salah as captain and Mohamed omitted.
2. May 28, 2026: Egypt beat Russia 1-0 in Cairo, then confirm the 26.
3. June 6, 2026: Brazil win 2-1 in Cleveland, Bruno Guimaraes and Endrick scoring, Mostafa Zico replying.
4. June 15, 2026: Egypt open Group G with a 1-1 draw against Belgium in Seattle.
5. June 21, 2026: A 3-1 win over New Zealand in Vancouver is Egypt’s first World Cup victory.
6. June 26, 2026: A 1-1 draw with Iran sends Egypt through in second place.
7. July 3, 2026: Australia are beaten 4-2 on penalties after 1-1 in Arlington.
8. July 7, 2026: Argentina come from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in Atlanta.

FIFA later listed Salah, Marmoush, Al Ahly’s Trezeguet, Nice defender Mohamed Abdelmonem, and Hamza among the published travelling party, and noted Mohamed’s absence as the headline surprise.

The 26 Who Travelled Included a Barcelona Teen

Hassan’s 26-player World Cup travelling squad carried four goalkeepers, which used a field slot many coaches would have given a fifth attacker. Mohamed El Shenawy, Al Ahly’s veteran, was in the group. Mostafa Shobeir, also of Al Ahly, started the World Cup matches.

The spine was Egyptian-club heavy. Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim, Emam Ashour, Marwan Attia, Zico, Trezeguet, and Ahmed Fatouh all came from Cairo or the domestic league, with Hamdy Fathy arriving from Al-Wakrah and Ramy Rabia from Al Ain. European names besides Salah and Marmoush were Abdelmonem at Nice, Ibrahim Adel at Nordsjaelland, and Haissem Hassan at Oviedo.

Hamza had 2 caps and no senior Egypt goals when the tournament began. Hassan used him as a late change against Belgium, New Zealand, and Iran, each time around the 76th minute, and left him on the bench in Atlanta. Marmoush started the group, then watched large stretches of the Argentina tie from the same bench. The minutes that decided matches went to Zico, Ashour, Trezeguet, and Haissem Hassan, not to the City striker named in every May preview.

That was the wager in plain terms. Cut the Nantes No. 9. Trust Salah in the armband. Keep an 18-year-old who still belonged to Barcelona’s youth side, on loan from Al Ahly. Ask the domestic midfield to score.

Group G Gave Egypt a First Win After 92 Years

Egypt had played the World Cup in 1934, 1990, and 2018 without a win. The wait ended on June 21 at BC Place in Vancouver, 92 years after the first finals game.

Belgium were held 1-1 on June 15 at Lumen Field in Seattle in front of 66,775. Ashour headed Egypt in front in the 19th minute from Salah’s work, and Hany put through his own net in the 66th. Salah lasted 76 minutes, registered the assist, and watched Hamza and Ahmed Sayed Zizo come on. Ashour was named man of the match. Egypt sat in a 4-2-3-1 with Shobeir in goal and Marmoush at centre forward.

New Zealand led through Finn Surman’s 15th-minute header from a corner. Zico equalised in the 58th from Hany’s cross. Salah swapped passes with Zico, then finished into the far corner in the 67th for the lead, his first goal of the tournament and his 68th for Egypt, one behind Hassan’s national record of 69. Trezeguet, on as a substitute, dived to head Salah’s corner in the 82nd. The 3-1 win, in front of 52,497, put Egypt top of the group on 4 points that night. Salah played 85 minutes and was man of the match.

What happened today is history for us, as Egyptians. First time we win in the World Cup. It’s a great feeling, and I think the whole country is happy. We need to continue like this.

Mohamed Salah, Egypt captain, after New Zealand

Iran were held 1-1 on June 26 back at Lumen Field, attendance 66,925. Mahmoud Saber scored in the 5th minute. Ramin Rezaeian answered in the 14th. Salah walked off in the 57th with ice on his left hamstring. The Egyptian Football Association said scans confirmed a hamstring strain and that Fatouh had a hamstring tear which ruled him out of Australia, while Abdelmonem had ankle bruising. Shojae Khalilzadeh had a stoppage-time finish wiped off for offside. Egypt were already through before kickoff, and finished unbeaten in the group.

GROUP G FINAL TABLE

Belgium jumped Egypt on goal difference after a 5-1 win over New Zealand the same night, the head-to-head having finished 1-1. Iran’s 3 points were not enough among the best third-place sides. Egypt’s full 2026 match log records the group as one win, two draws, and a round-of-16 defeat.

Australia Went Out on Penalties in Arlington

The round of 32 on July 3 at AT&T Stadium was Egypt’s first World Cup knockout match in the modern group format, and it went 120 minutes. Ashour headed in the 13th minute after Salah’s free kick was half cleared. Hany scored another own goal in the 55th. Patrick Beach saved Ramy Rabia’s stoppage-time header from a Salah cross. Salah ballooned a volley early in extra time.

Tony Popovic sent Mathew Ryan on for the shootout. Egypt still put all 4 of their kicks away. Salah, who played the full 120 minutes on the strained hamstring, chipped a Panenka.

THE ARLINGTON SHOOTOUT

• Harry Souttar: First kick for Australia, high over the bar.
• Mahmoud Saber: Scores for Egypt.
• Jackson Irvine: Scores for Australia.
• Ramy Rabia: Scores for Egypt.
• Awer Mabil: Scores for Australia.
• Mohamed Salah: Panenka down the middle.
• Lucas Herrington: Eighteen, hits the bar.
• Hossam Abdelmaguid: Low to Ryan’s right, 4-2, Egypt through.

Abdelmaguid, 25, a Zamalek centre back with no previous Egypt goal, sent 70,244 people, many in red, into the Dallas night. Salah said the chip was a last-minute choice, and that he wanted to give the younger takers some nerve because he had more experience than they did. He also said he had told the group before kickoff to enjoy the stage and not let the pressure eat them. He was in tears at the end. Egypt had a last-16 date with Argentina in Atlanta.

Argentina Scored Three Times After the 79th Minute

On July 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Yasser Ibrahim headed Egypt in front in the 15th minute from Marwan Attia’s delivery. Lionel Messi then had a penalty saved by Shobeir. Zico thought he had a second before half the second half was gone, only for VAR to walk the move back and rule a foul by Attia on Lisandro Martinez, a long way from goal. Zico did score in the 67th, finishing a break that ran through Salah and Haissem Hassan, and Egypt led 2-0 with 23 minutes left.

Cristian Romero headed in Messi’s cross in the 79th. Messi equalised in the 83rd, a left-foot strike. Enzo Fernandez headed Lautaro Martinez’s cross in at 90+2. Three Argentina goals in 13 minutes, 3-2 at the whistle, attendance 68,239. Salah played the full 90. Marmoush came on in the 80th, after the first Argentina goal. Hamza stayed seated.

Hassan did not accept the night as a football result. He said a second Egypt goal had been taken away, that a late penalty check never came, and that pressure from the Argentina side had sat on the referee, François Letexier.

It’s all about money. They want Messi to stay in the tournament. In football, many things happen off the pitch because of interests. What happened was unfair. Egypt deserved to qualify, we were the better team.

Hossam Hassan, Egypt coach, after Argentina

Zico, through a translator, said the referee had not been fair and had wasted the team’s work. Salah pulled teammates away from the officials at the end and still shook Letexier’s hand. Across 5 starts as captain he finished with 428 minutes, 1 goal, and 2 assists, plus the Panenka. The supporting cast scored the other Egypt goals: Ashour twice, Zico twice, Saber, Trezeguet, Ibrahim.

Egypt’s Federation Called the Officiating Unacceptable

The next morning the Egyptian Football Association put out a statement that it could not remain silent about the refereeing, or about how VAR had been used. It pointed to the disallowed Zico finish and to penalty appeals that were never reviewed, including contact on Hamdy Fathy and a challenge on Salah involving Julian Alvarez just before the winner. President Hany Abo Rida asked FIFA to look at Letexier, his assistants, and the VAR crew, and to keep them off the rest of the tournament while that review ran.

Former England goalkeeper Rob Green said on the match broadcast that the Attia contact was not a VAR matter. Jamie Carragher said the same goal would have stood after a league review. VAR protocol does allow a goal to be checked for an attacking foul in the build-up. That legal cover never reached Cairo. Fans still talk about Atlanta as a night the machine kept rewinding until it found a reason to save the holders. There has been no public reversal of the result, and Argentina went on. Egypt’s file sits as a protest, not a replay.

Hassan Signed Through 2030 on the Back of That Run

On September 1 the Egyptian Football Association extended Hassan through 2030. FIFA called him the first coach to lead Egypt to a World Cup win, and noted the path: the New Zealand comeback, the Australia shootout, then the 3-2 last-16 defeat. The association said the new deal was about keeping the staff in place. Hassan, 60, scored a national-record 69 goals in 176 Egypt games as a player. Salah sits on 68.

SALAH’S WORLD CUP LINE

• Starts as captain: 5, every Egypt match in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
• Minutes: 428, including 120 against Australia on a strained hamstring.
• Direct goals: 1, the 67th-minute finish in Vancouver, plus 2 assists.
• Shootout: A Panenka in Arlington that put Egypt into the last 16.

Hamza finally scored for Egypt on September 29, a stoppage-time goal in a 5-0 win away to South Sudan in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, with Salah absent. Hassan said it was not right for a country of 120 million to depend on one player. Marmoush scored twice that night. The teenager from the World Cup list now has a senior Egypt goal. Mohamed still does not have a World Cup cap from 2026.

Egypt host South Africa in Cairo on October 4. The May list already has its score. Salah wore the armband, Egypt won a World Cup match, then another on penalties, and still left Atlanta with a 2-0 lead in the bin and a complaint on file. Hassan’s bet bought the firsts. It did not buy a quarter-final.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Was Cut From Egypt’s 27-Man Preliminary World Cup Squad?

Enppi forward Aqtay Abdallah, also written Oktay Abdallah, was the player Hassan removed after the Russia friendly so the travelling party met FIFA’s 26-player limit. Hamza Abdelkarim stayed. Mostafa Mohamed of Nantes had already been left out of the 27 and was never in the final cut conversation.

How Many World Cup Matches Had Egypt Played Without a Win Before Vancouver?

Seven. Egypt lost their only 1934 match, went winless through 3 games in 1990 and 3 more in 2018, then drew Belgium in Seattle. The New Zealand game was Egypt’s 9th World Cup match and the first they won. Honduras had gone 9 finals games without a win, the only side with a longer drought when Egypt arrived in 2026.

Did Mohamed El Shenawy Start for Egypt at the World Cup?

No. El Shenawy was one of 4 keepers in the 26, with El Mahdy Soliman and Mohamed Alaa the unused reserves. Mostafa Shobeir started the group games, the Australia tie, and the Argentina match, and he saved Messi’s first-half penalty in Atlanta. Hassan later left El Shenawy out of a September qualifying squad on technical grounds.

What Is Hamza Abdelkarim’s Club Situation?

Hamza is an Al Ahly striker who joined Barcelona’s youth ranks on loan in February, with the Spanish club holding a purchase option of 1.5 million euros plus add-ons. He had scored 8 times in 11 youth games before the World Cup call. He remains in Barcelona’s wider orbit and has had brief first-team minutes in La Liga since the tournament.

What Happened to Mostafa Mohamed’s Club Season Before the Snub?

Mohamed scored 4 league goals in 24 matches for Nantes, who were relegated from Ligue 1. Hassan called the omission technical. Mohamed’s agent, Adam Watany, has said the gap was personal with the coach. Mohamed stayed in Europe and did not join the North American camp at any point after May 20.