Salah spearheads Egypt’s charge for record eighth AFCON title
CAIRO, Dec 31 (Reuters) – Mohamed Salah will lead Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023) in the Côte d’Ivoire, skippering a 27-man squad named by coach Rui Vitoria.
The group includes all but two of the starting line-up for the last Cup of Nations final two years ago, when Egypt lost on penalties to Senegal in Yaounde.
But there is a first call-up for 22-year-old Ahmed Nabil Kouka, who in June helped Egypt’s under-23 side qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics and also played for Cairo giants Al Ahly at this month’s Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Rui Vitória reveals Egypt's AFCON 2024 squad. 🏆🇪🇬🌍 pic.twitter.com/ymL2GqGpJz
— KingFut.com (@King_Fut) December 30, 2023
The Pharaohs has won the AFCON seven times, the highest in the competition’s history and two more than their closest rival, Cameroon.
They will compete in Group B at the tournament in the Ivory Coast, starting their campaign in Abidjan against Mozambique on Jan. 14. They also meet Ghana and the Cape Verde Islands in their opening round group.
Egypt AFCON 2023 Squad:
- Goalkeepers: Mohamed Abou Gabal (National Bank), Ahmed El Shennawy (Pyramids), Mohamed El Shennawy (Al Ahly), Mohamed Sobhi (Zamalek)
- Defenders: Mohamed Abdelmoneim (Al Ahly), Ahmed Fatouh (Zamalek), Ali Gabr, Osama Galal, Mohamed Hamdy (all Pyramids), Mohamed Hany (Al Ahly), Ahmed Hegazi (Al Ittihad), Omar Kamal (Future), Ahmed Samy (Pyramids)
- Midfielders: Emam Ashour, Marwan Attia (both Al Ahly), Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal), Hamdi Fathi (Al Wakrah), Mahmoud Hamada (Al Masry), Ahmed Nabil Kouka (Al Ahly), Ahmed Zizo (Zamalek)
- Forwards: Mostafa Fathi (Pyramids), Mahmoud Kahraba (Al Ahly), Ahmed Hassan Kouka (Pendikspor), Omar Marmoush (Eintracht Frankfurt), Mostafa Mohamed (Nantes), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Mahmoud Trezeguet (Trabzonspor).
