The coaching staff of Egypt’s national football team, led by Javier Aguirre, has announced the initial squad of the Pharaohs in preparation for the Africa Cup of Nations 2019 (AFCON) to be held in Egypt from 21 June to 19 July.
The team is expected to enter a closed camp in Borg El Arab, Alexandria on 6 June to prepare for two friendly matches against Tanzania and Guinea on 13 and 16 June at Borg El Arab Stadium. The squad saw the return of Abdullah El Saeed, Waleed Soliman, Ahmed Ali (top scorer of the Egyptian Premier League), and Ali Ghazal who plays in the Portuguese league.
The squad included 17 players in the local league, including five players from Pyramids, who are Ahmed El Shenawy, Ahmed Ayman Mansour, Nabil Emad, Omar Gaber, and Abdullah El Saeed. This is in addition to four players from Al Ahly who are Mohamed El Shenawy, Ayman Ashraf, Marawan Mohsen, and Waleed Soliman. Four players on the list are from Zamalek, including Mahmoud Abdelreheem, Mahmoud Hamdy, Mahmoud Alaa, and Tarek Hamed, in addition to two players from Smouha SC, who are Mohamed Abo Gabal, and Ahmed Aboul Fotouh, a player from Ismaily, Baher El Mohamady, and a player from the Arab Contractors, Ahmed Ali, in addition to eight players, including Ahmed El Mohamady (Aston Villa), Ahmed Hegazy (West Bromwich), Mohamed El Ninny (Arsenal), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ali Gazal (Feirense), Amr Warda (Atromitos), Ahmed Hassan (Olympiacos), and Trezeguet (Kasimpasa).
In AFCON, Egypt was placed in Group A with Uganda, DR Congo, and Zimbabwe.
