SEVEN-TIME CHAMPS: EGYPT NAMES FINAL SQUAD FOR MOROCCO 2025 AFCON
Hossam Hassan unveiled a balanced Egypt squad for AFCON 2025, mixing veterans like Salah and new talents. The Pharaohs face Zimbabwe and South Africa in tough Group B.
Egypt's coach, Hossam Hassan, has picked his final squad of 28 players for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025. He's counting on this group to bring Egypt back to the summit of African football.
The team, with seven past championship wins, will compete from December 21 to January 18, aiming for another championship title.
Hassan's choices mix experienced players with new talent, aiming to create a balanced team in every position.
While the squad has just a few players from foreign leagues, the biggest name is Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, who captains the team and leads the attack.
Hassan also chose Mohamed Marmoush from Manchester City and Mostafa Mohamed from FC Nantes, expecting them to bring energy and scoring ability.
Ibrahim Adel and Rahim Rabia, who play in the Emirati league, bring international experience to the team.
Egypt wants to win back the continental title, and Hassan feels his team mixes experience and youth, hoping for good results in the games ahead.
Strong goalkeeping and a balanced defence
The team has four goalkeepers, with Mohamed El Shenawy from Al Ahly as the main choice.
His Al Ahly teammate Mostafa Shobeir, along with Ahmed El Shenawy and Mohamed Sobhi, rounds out the goalkeeping, giving the team depth and competition.
In defence, Egypt went with a combination of familiar faces and young energy.
Mohamed Hany, Ramy Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, and Ahmed Fatouh have all played internationally, while younger players like Hossam Abdel-Maguid and Khaled Sobhi add speed and strength.
According to the coaches, the defence has a good mix of strength and international experience, which is important in a tough Group B.
Creative and experienced midfielders
The midfield is Egypt's engine room, with players who offer different skills. Marwan Attia, Hamdi Fathi, Mohannad Lasheen, Emam Ashour, and Mohamed Shehata will play alongside Ahmed Sayed Zizo and Mahmoud Trezeguet, who add playmaking ability.
Salah is also listed as a midfielder in Egypt's flexible attacking setup, along with Omar Marmoush, Ibrahim Adel, and Mostafa Fathi. Hassan thinks this gives the team options and creativity on the field.
Mostafa Mohamed leads the attack.
Mostafa Mohamed will lead Egypt's attack.
He'll be joined by Salah Mohsen and Osama Faisal, with the job of scoring goals in Morocco.
Egypt's AFCON Group B opponents
The African champions will begin their Group B games versus Zimbabwe on December 22.
Then, they will have a tough game against South Africa before finishing the group stage against Angola. With a mix of established stars and new faces, Egyptian fans will expect a strong performance as the team tries to regain its place at the top of African football.
The team will start an open training camp on December 3 before switching to a closed camp four days later.
A friendly versus Nigeria in Cairo on December 14 will be their final warm-up game before they head to Morocco on December 17 to get ready for the tournament.
Egypt’s 28-man squad for TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2025
Goalkeepers:
Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly), Ahmed El Shenawy (Pyramids), Mostafa Shobeir (Al Ahly), Mohamed Sobhi (Zamalek)
Defenders:
Mohamed Hany (Al Ahly), Ahmed Eid (Al Masry), Ramy Rabia (Al Ain), Khaled Sobhi (Al Masry), Yasser Ibrahim (Al Ahly), Mohamed Ismail (Zamalek), Hossam Abdel-Maguid (Zamalek), Mohamed Hamdy (Pyramids), Ahmed Fatouh (Zamalek)
Midfielders:
Marwan Attia (Al Ahly), Hamdi Fathi (Al Wakrah, Qatar), Mohannad Lasheen (Pyramids), Mahmoud Saber (Zed)
Mohamed Shehata (Zamalek), Emam Ashour (Al Ahly), Ahmed Mostafa Zizo (Al Ahly)
Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet (Al Ahly), Ibrahim Adel (Al Jazira, UAE), Mostafa Fathi (Pyramids), Omar Marmoush (Manchester City), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Forwards: Mostafa Mohamed (Nantes), Salah Mohsen (Al Masry), Osama Faisal (Al Ahly Bank)
THOMAS TUCHEL NAMES EXPANDED ENGLAND SQUAD FEATURING FOUR SURPRISE NEW INCLUSIONS
Thomas Tuchel hands maiden England call-ups to James Garner and Jason Steele while omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James Garner from Everton and Brighton’s goalkeeper Jason Steele have earned their first call-ups to the England squad. Alongside them, AC Milan’s defender Fikayo Tomori and Tottenham’s forward Dominic Solanke have also been included. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw did not make the cut this time.
Jude Bellingham, despite being sidelined since early February due to a hamstring injury, is still part of the squad. Experienced centre-back Harry Maguire, now 33, has the chance to add to his 64 caps, while 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who started in the Euro 2024 final, is also selected. Both last represented England in September 2024 but have been rewarded for Manchester United’s recent good form, which has lifted them to third place in the Premier League.
Luke Shaw, pushing for inclusion, has been overlooked once again. Instead, Tuchel has called up Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, marking his first call-up since Tuchel took over.
This squad is larger than usual, with players arriving in two phases during the international window. Tuchel explained on the Football Association’s website that the first group includes players who haven’t played much recently, aiming to broaden competition for spots in the upcoming US tour. Then, from Friday to Saturday, another group will join, including some who’ve had a short rest, to mix things up for the match against Japan.
England will face Uruguay at Wembley on March 27, followed by a home game against Japan on March 31. Looking ahead, the World Cup kicks off on June 11 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with England considered among the contenders.
Here’s the full squad breakdown:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle), Jason Steele (Brighton)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham)
WHY CAF STRIPPED SENEGAL OF THEIR AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS TITLE
Following a final walk-off, Senegal has lost its AFCON trophy in the boardroom, prompting an appeal to CAS by the FSF.
Moussa Niakhate finally spoke out after the Confederation of African Football’s shocking decision to take Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy away. After that wild walk-off in the final against Morocco, CAF backed an appeal and handed the host nation a 3-0 win by default. Senegalese players were furious; who wouldn’t be?
The boardroom decision completely flipped African football on its head. Two months after the final, the CAF Appeal Board tossed out Senegal’s victory and gave Morocco the win. It all started deep into stoppage time when VAR gave Morocco a penalty. Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s manager, lost it and told his players to leave the field. Eventually, they came back and finished the match. Still, officials said the walk-off broke tournament rules, so they took the title away. Brutal.
Niakhate, the 30-year-old defender who was key in Senegal’s backline, got asked about it before Lyon’s Europa League match with Celta. He’d already posted a photo with his medal and the trophy right after the ruling. He made it clear: nothing a boardroom says can erase what happened on the pitch. He said, “Out of respect for the club and with the crucial match in mind, I don’t want to go into too much detail. You saw my reaction on social media; it’s the same today. What I can say is that nothing has changed for me compared to what we went through in January. I’ll have time to talk about it again in due course; for now, I’m going to stay focused on Lyon.”
That final in Rabat was pure chaos, even before Senegal won 1-0 on the field. Most players followed Thiaw down the tunnel, but Sadio Mane stayed, urging his teammates to come back. Brahim Diaz took the penalty but tried a Panenka, and Edouard Mendy caught it easily. The game went to extra time, Papa Gueye scored, and Senegal thought they were champions again. It didn't matter; the walk-off cost them everything. The committee called it a 3-0 forfeit.
It’s harsh for a team that believed they’d gone back-to-back. Niakhate, who started six out of seven games, is now focusing on Lyon’s European campaign. Still, that boardroom drama isn’t going away, not with the international break coming up. Senegal’s already planning to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
