Egypt coach Hossam Hassan. Photo : EFA
The victory in Cairo on Friday took Egypt to 19 points at the top of Group A—five ahead of second-placed Burkina Faso—after seven rounds of qualifiers.
“We are taking it one game at a time, doing our best to secure a positive result in each match,” Hassan told reporters during the post-match press conference.
Egypt now need just a draw against Burkina Faso on Tuesday to secure a place in the 2026 World Cup.
“The match against Burkina Faso will be tough—there are no weak opponents in African football. The hardest part is yet to come,” the veteran coach said.
Hassan highlighted the venue switch for Tuesday's match as a sign of the game importance.
“We are ready, even though the venue change was unexpected. They played all their earlier qualifiers in Morocco, but now they’ve insisted on hosting this one at home,” he added.
Injuries force changes
Hassan, who took over the national team earlier this year, made several changes to the squad ahead of the Ethiopia match due to injuries.
Ahly defender Yasser Ibrahim was ruled out with a muscle strain, while Nice centre-back Mohamed Abdelmonem is recovering from a long-term ACL injury. In response, Hassan called up NBE Club defender Amr El Gazar.
“We’ve had to deal with several injuries. Abdelmonem is out, and Rabia is only just recovering. That’s why I had to bring in new faces to cover the gaps,” Hassan said.
Ahly playmaker and talisman Emam Ashour has not fully recovered from his shoulder injury and missed this international break. However, eMidfielder Marwan Attia, who recently returned from a hernia injury that sidelined him at the start of the season, has been included in the squad.
Egypt have qualified for the World Cup only three times in their history—1934, 1990, and 2018—and Hassan acknowledged the pressure to return to the global stage.
“We’ve only made it to the World Cup three times. That’s not enough for a country like Egypt. We want to make it again,” he said.
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