File Photo: Egypt Midfielder Trezeguet in action. Photo courtesy of CAF.
The seven-time African champions, Egypt, qualified for the World Cup finals in style after topping Group A with 26 points, five clear of second-placed Burkina Faso, completing a 10-game undefeated run.
The friendly against Saudi Arabia is the first step in the Pharaohs’ buildup for next summer’s tournament, as Egypt are also scheduled to face Spain on 31 March at the RCDE Stadium, home of Espanyol.
Egypt will be hoping to bounce back from their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) disappointment, where they failed to clinch the title, finishing fourth after losing to Nigeria in a penalty shootout in the third-place decider.
New faces in Hassan's squad
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan announced on Sunday a 26-man squad for the two friendlies, which saw Real Oviedo's 24-year-old winger Haissem Hassan and Zamalek’s 28-year-old striker Nasser Mansi receive their first international call-ups.
However, Salah was ruled out of both friendlies after sustaining an injury while playing for Liverpool against Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg.
Egypt coach Hassan believes that facing Saudi Arabia is an essential test for the Pharaohs ahead of the World Cup.
“We seek to benefit from this experience against a Saudi side who are considered giants both in Asia and the Arab world. We will work on delivering a strong performance that pleases the fans. This match is technically significant for both teams before the World Cup,” the 59-year-old coach told a pre-match press conference on Thursday.
Hassan explained that the decision to face Saudi Arabia was tactically driven by the Pharaohs' World Cup draw, as Egypt have been placed in Group G alongside Iran, New Zealand, and Belgium.
"Asian teams have a distinct style. Since we will face Iran in our group, we decided to play Saudi Arabia as they are currently the best on the Asian continent," Hassan added.
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, narrowly advanced to the World Cup finals for the third consecutive time, their seventh in total, following a 0-0 draw against Iraq in the Asian play-offs on 15 October 2025, after a disappointing run during the group stage.
Since then, Hervé Renard’s men haven’t been able to put in consistent performances, though they did finish third in the FIFA Arab Cup in December 2025.
The 57-year-old Frenchman stressed that Saudi Arabia seek to deliver a strong performance against Egypt, calling his side’s current camp the "final stop" before the summer’s tournament.
"We are approaching the World Cup, and this camp is our last before the tournament begins. It is of great importance to us to ensure the players are in peak condition. We are delighted to play against Egypt. Our goal is to deliver a strong performance before heading into another friendly against Serbia as part of our final preparations," Renard told reporters on Thursday.
Egypt will be seeking to avenge their defeat to the Saudis in the 2018 World Cup, where they lost 2-1 to the Green Falcons in the final round of the group stage and bid the tournament in Russia a fareweel.
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