Egypt will hope to rediscover the form that led to three successive AFCON title wins between 2006 and 2010 in the Ivory Coast. The Pharaohs have fallen short as runners-up in two of the last three finals and the all-time AFCON champions have not won the competition since their 2010 triumph.
Latest Egypt AFCON 2023 outright odds
Egypt AFCON 2023 squad review
Egypt boss Rui Vitória has sprung no surprises with his 27-man squad. Largely, the Portuguese coach has stuck with his reliable personnel to progress at the AFCON.
Unsurprisingly, captain Mohammed Salah is likely to be the most important player for the Pharaohs at the AFCON finals.
Alongside the Liverpool forwards, the predicted XI will include the likes of Mahmoud Trezeguet and Mohammed Elneny will be crucial to Egypt’s quest for the title.
Full Egypt AFCON 2023 squad
Goalkeepers
- Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly)
- Ahmed El Shenawy (Pyramids)
- Gabaski (National Bank of Egypt)
- Mohamed Sobhi (Zamalek)
Defenders
- Ahmed Hegazy (Al Ittihad)
- Mohamed Abdelmonem (Al Ahly)
- Mohamed Hany (Al Ahly)
- Yasser Ibrahim (Al Ahly)
- Ali Gabr (Pyramids)
- Ahmed Samy (Pyramids)
- Mohamed Hamdy (Pyramids)
- Omar Kamal (Future)
- Ahmed Fatouh (Zamalek)
Midfielders
- Hamdi Fathi (Al Wakrah)
- Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal)
- Marwan Attia (Al Ahly)
- Emam Ashour (Al Ahly)
- Zizo (Zamalek)
- Mahmoud Hamada (Al Masry)
- Mohanad Lasheen (Pyramids)
Strikers
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
- Mostafa Fathi (Pyramids)
- Trezeguet (Trabzonspor)
- Omar Marmoush (Eintracht Frankfurt)
- Mostafa Mohamed (Nantes)
- Kahraba (Al Ahly)
- Ahmed Hassan (Pendikspor)
Surprise inclusions
Egypt’s squad largely keeps in line with the approach for their recent friendlies and World Cup qualifiers. Striker Ahmed Hassan’s inclusion is perhaps the biggest surprise. The forward has played just one full game for Turkish side Pendikspor this season. Hassan has also scored one international goal since 2015.
In-form players
Beyond their talisman Salah, some of Egypt’s other stars could catch the eye at the 2024 AFCON.
Reliable goalkeeper Mohammed el Shenawy was central to Egypt’s AFCON qualification campaign. The 52-capped stopper kept three clean sheets in four appearances during qualifying. El Shenawy also proved his importance for the Pharaohs when he was awarded the captaincy in Salah’s absence in a 1-0 victory over Ethiopia in September.
Another influential player Ahmed Hegazy returns to the squad following a long-term injury. The defender has the third most caps in the current Egypt squad (83). Therefore the Al-Ittihad player is likely to provide experience and solidity in defence to allow Salah and others to flourish in attack.
Mahmoud Trezeguet also comes into the AFCON in solid club form this season. The forward has made six goal contributions in 13 appearances for Trabzonspor in Turkey. In the previous round of internationals, the 29-year-old hit top form, scoring three times in wins over Djibouti and Sierra Leone.
Tactical analysis
Egypt will kick start their AFCON campaign with a Group B clash against Mozambique. This is a clash that Vitória’s side will target for a win, given that Mozambique are ranked 111th in the FIFA rankings.
The Pharoes’ second Group B encounter could be influential in determining the group’s victor as they face fellow AFCON favourites Ghana. Egypt will have to be on their guard against the Black Stars' fearsome attack. Premier League stars Mohamed Kudus, Jordan Ayew and Antoine Semenyo certainly have the potential to upset the Pharaohs' title bid.
A final Group B clash against Cape Verde will await Egypt. While Vitória’s side will be overwhelming favourites here, they will have to guard against complacency. Cape Verde was the surprise package in qualifying, going unbeaten in four of six fixtures. The Islanders also upset Morocco in a friendly in June as they held the Atlas Lions to a 0-0 draw.
Current odds
Egypt are strong favourites to progress from Group B at 1/20 and are among the leading sides to win the AFCON with odds of 9/1.
Egypt AFCON trivia
- Egypt are the only side to compete in all 25 editions of the competition proper.
- The Pharaohs have reached the final in five of the last six tournaments.
- Five different Egyptian players have scored hat-tricks in the AFCON (Hossam Hassan scored the last hat-trick for the nation in 1998).
- In 2021, Egypt played four matches that went to extra time, the most at a single AFCON tournament.
- Ayman Mansour scored the fastest-ever goal, netting after 23 seconds against Mozambique in 1994.
