Egypt national football team have departed for the United States to begin the final phase of preparations for the 2026 World Cup, although the travelling delegation was missing one of its most prominent attacking players.
The team’s flight left Cairo International Airport bound for the American state of Ohio, where Egypt are scheduled to play a friendly match in the early hours of Sunday, 7 June, as part of their build-up to the tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The journey to the United States is expected to last around 13 hours and marks the start of Egypt’s final international preparations ahead of the global competition.
The only player absent from the travelling delegation was Omar Marmoush, the Manchester City forward.
According to reports, Marmoush received prior permission from national team coach Hossam Hassan and team manager Ibrahim Hassan to remain temporarily in Egypt in order to complete procedures related to his marriage contract.
The striker is expected to join the squad in the United States within 24 hours of the team’s departure, allowing him to participate fully in the remaining stages of the preparation programme.
Egypt’s squad selection also drew attention because of several notable decisions by the technical staff.
Mostafa Mohamed, the striker for Nantes, was left out of the final squad list, while young forward Hamza Abdel Karim received a surprise call-up.
The youngster, who belongs to Al Ahly and is currently on loan within the youth ranks of Barcelona, was included in the final selection, while Aktai Abdullah was excluded.
Egypt will compete in Group G at the 2026 World Cup following the tournament draw. The Pharaohs are set to face Belgium national football team, Iran national football team and New Zealand national football team.
The Egyptian side will hope to produce performances capable of representing both Arab and African football strongly on the world stage.
Captain Mohamed Salah, the winger for Liverpool, leads the squad alongside Marmoush as Egypt prepare for one of the most important tournaments in their recent history.
The goalkeeping group includes Mohamed El Shenawy, Mostafa Shobeir, El Mahdi Soliman and Mohamed Alaa.
Defensive options selected by the coaching staff are Mohamed Hany, Tarek Alaa, Hamdi Fathi, Ramy Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Hossam Abdel Meguid, Mohamed Abdel Moneim, Ahmed Fatouh and Karim Hafez.
In midfield, Egypt will rely on players including Marwan Attia, Mohannad Lasheen, Nabil Emad Dunga, Mahmoud Saber, Ahmed Sayed Zizo, Emam Ashour, Mostafa Abdel Raouf Zico, Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet, Ibrahim Adel and Haitham Hassan.
The attacking line consists of Omar Marmoush and Hamza Abdel Karim, with expectations high as Egypt continue preparations for the World Cup in North America.
