Al Ahly star Emam Ashour has been left out of the Egypt squad for the upcoming 2027 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cup qualifiers back-to-back clashes against Malawi by new head coach Ali Maher.
Emam has also missed the past four matches for the club including the Caf Confederation Cup matches against Uganda’s Kitara.
Maher replaced veteran Hossam Hassam on Saturday and this is his first squad.
The former Ahly striker has recalled Mahmoud ‘El Wensh’ Hamdy, Mohamed Shehata, Mahmoud Marei and Nasser Maher who have all been away for over a year. Ahly captain Mohamed El Shenawy has also been included in the list after missing the September camp and also included uncapped current league top scorer Mahmoud Mamdouh.
The squad features nine foreign-based players, headlined by captain Mohamed Salah and Tottenham Hotspur forward Omar Marmoush.
Egypt currently top Group B of the AFCON qualifiers with four points, having opened their campaign with a 0-0 draw against Angola before thrashing South Sudan 5-0 in their second match.
The 2027 AFCON finals will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
Egypt 26-man squad
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El-Shennawy, Mostafa Shobeir (Ahly), Mahdy Soliman (Zamalek), Mohamed Alaa (Ceramica Cleopatra FC).
Defenders: Mahmoud ‘El-Wensh’ Hamdy, Ahmed Fattouh (Zamalek), Hossam Abdelmaguid (Ludogorets, Bulgaria), Rami Rabia (Al-Ain, UAE), Mohamed Abdelmonem (Nice, France), Mahmoud Marie, Karim Hafez, (Pyramids FC), Mohamed Hany (Ahly), Tarek Alaa (ZED FC).
Midfielders: Marwan Attia, Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed (Ahly), Mohanad Lasheen, Mahmoud Saber, Nasser Maher (Pyramids FC), Mohamed Shehata (Zamalek), Ibrahim Adel (Nordsjaelland, Denmark), Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan (Al-Riyadh FC – Saudi Arabia), Haithem Hassan (Celtic, Scotland).
Forwards: Mohamed Salah (Trabzonspor, Turkey), Omar Marmoush (Tottenham Hotspur, England), Hamza Abdelkarim (Barcelona, Spain), Mahmoud Mamdouh (Modern Sport FC).
