Egypt national football team has agreed to delay the arrival of teenage forward Hamza Abdel Karim at the national team’s training camp in order to allow him to feature for FC Barcelona in the Youth Champions Cup final against Real Madrid CF.
The Egyptian squad began preparations on Thursday evening ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
According to team manager Ibrahim Hassan, the Pharaohs will remain at the National Teams Centre until 26 May before travelling to the New Administrative Capital to face Russia national football team in a friendly match on 28 May. The team will then travel to the United States on 30 May to continue preparations for another friendly fixture against Brazil national football team in June.
Hamza Abdel Karim’s inclusion in the national team setup has been viewed as a major boost for the young player, particularly following the absence of Mostafa Mohamed, the striker currently playing for FC Nantes.
However, Abdel Karim did not initially join the Egyptian camp because he was involved with Barcelona’s under-19 side in the semi-finals of the Youth Champions Cup. The Egyptian youngster scored during Barcelona’s 2-0 victory over UD Las Palmas, helping the Catalan side secure a place in the final against Real Madrid next Sunday.
A source inside Barcelona revealed that the Spanish club directly contacted the Egyptian Football Association to request permission for the player to remain in Spain for the final.
“We contacted the Egyptian Football Association directly after the match to delay Hamza Abdel Karim’s joining the Egyptian national team camp, so that he could participate in the final match against Real Madrid,” the source told WinWin.
The source added that the Egyptian Football Association accepted the request and agreed to postpone the player’s arrival until after the final.
“The Egyptian Federation agreed to the Blaugrana’s request and will allow Hamza to play in El Clasico next Sunday and delay his joining the Pharaohs’ camp until next Monday.”
Abdel Karim is currently representing Barcelona on loan from Al Ahly SC until the end of the season. The Spanish club reportedly has an option to make the move permanent for 1.5 million euros.
Egypt will compete in Group G at the upcoming World Cup alongside Iran national football team, Belgium national football team and New Zealand national football team, with supporters hopeful the team can produce a stronger campaign than in previous tournaments.
The Pharaohs are scheduled to open their World Cup campaign against Belgium in Seattle on 15 June before facing New Zealand in Vancouver on 22 June. Egypt will then conclude the group stage against Iran in Seattle on 27 June.
