The Pharaohs will face familiar rivals in Group B, where they will meet South Africa, Angola, and Zimbabwe. The group stage draw was conducted in January.

“There are no easy teams in Africa now. We will play on neutral ground, and only performance will determine the winner,” Mohamed told BeIN Sports.

Egypt, the seven-time AFCON champion, face a tough challenge from South Africa, with whom they have met five times in official matches, including AFCON finals and qualifiers.  

Egypt won two of those encounters, South Africa claimed two victories, and one match ended in a draw.

“Everyone knows the value of the Egyptian national team in Africa as we are the record holders for the title,” Mohamed added.

“The current squad can win more trophies,” said the Nantes striker.

“Egypt has a strong team with both foreign-based and domestic players, and they are all ready to fight for the Africa Cup of Nations title,” he added.

Egypt will begin their campaign in the prestigious tournament against Zimbabwe in Agadir, Morocco.

They will face South Africa in their second match before concluding the group stage with a clash against Angola.

The 2025 AFCON, scheduled from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, will be the biggest challenge for coach Hossam Hassan, who took over the national team in February 2024.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)

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