Egypt will not take part in any international fixtures during the June FIFA window, as the seven-time African champions face a significant player availability crisis ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Egyptian Football Association had initially explored the possibility of organising a friendly match against Comoros during the June break.
This came after a decision to avoid stronger opposition like Cameroon and Libya due to a depleted squad. However, logistical complications and key absences have ultimately forced the Pharaohs to cancel all plans for a match next month.
Egypt will be without several of its high-profile stars. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) and Omar Marmoush (Manchester City) are unavailable, and several locally based players from Al Ahly are committed to the Club World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 13.
In addition to those absences, journalist Ahmed Abd Elbaset reports that the Egyptian Cup final—scheduled for June 5—will prevent players from both Zamalek and Pyramids FC from joining the national team during the window.
The Egyptian Cup final pits Zamalek against Pyramids FC, both of whom supply a significant number of players to the national team. Among those affected are Mostafa Fathi, Ibrahim Adel, Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed, Mohamed Shehata, Nabil Dunga, Hossam Abdelmaguid and goalkeeper Mohamed Awad.
All were part of Rui Vitória’s most recent squad for the March World Cup qualifiers, where Egypt secured back-to-back wins over Ethiopia (2-0) and Sierra Leone (1-0) on the 21st and 25th of the month respectively.
With the cancellation of the June plans, the Pharaohs will now regroup in September, when they are set to resume their World Cup qualifying campaign with matches against Ethiopia and Burkina Faso. These encounters will represent crucial preparation steps for Rui Vitória’s men ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Egypt, eliminated in the round of 16 at the previous edition of AFCON in Ivory Coast, will be under intense pressure to reclaim their dominance on the continental stage.
The upcoming tournament, scheduled to run from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, offers the Pharaohs an opportunity to correct recent disappointments and challenge once again for African football’s top honour.
Despite the setback in June, the team remains firmly focused on long-term goals, with September marking the start of a critical stretch in both World Cup qualifying and tournament readiness.
Until then, the Egyptian national team will have to wait before reassembling, as domestic commitments and scheduling conflicts leave the squad temporarily grounded.
Egypt’s June training camp to be cancelled due to player unavailability following the scheduling of the Egypt Cup final on June 5th 🚫🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/9JqsUsyBqy
— KingFut.com (@King_Fut) May 4, 2025
