Mahmoud Salah races to be fit for Egypt U20 opener against Libya

Mahmoud Salah is undergoing rehabilitation as Egypt’s 2007-born youth team prepare for their opening North Africa Championship qualifier against Libya on 24 September.

The Al Ahly forward suffered a knock during a friendly against National Bank of Egypt a week ago, but has now returned to running as the coaching staff assess whether he can feature in Egypt’s first match.

“Mahmoud Salah, the Al Ahly striker, is doing rehabilitation exercises after suffering a knock during the friendly against National Bank of Egypt a week ago,” a source from the Egypt youth team told FilGoal.com.

The source added: “The player began running three days ago. We are trying to get him ready for the opening match against Libya in the North Africa qualifiers on 24 September. The coaching staff will make the final decision in coordination with the medical team.”

Salah joined Al Ahly this season from Ghazl El Mahalla.

Egypt’s youth team, managed by Wael Riad and Sherif Abdel-Fadil, will compete in the North Africa Championship, which will be staged in Ismailia from 21 September to 6 October 2026.

The tournament will be played at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium and Ismailia Stadium, with Egypt joined by Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.

Egypt will begin their campaign against Libya on Thursday, 24 September, before sitting out the second round of matches. They will then face Tunisia on Wednesday, 30 September, Morocco on Saturday, 3 October, and Algeria on Tuesday, 6 October.

Egypt’s fixtures are:

– Egypt v Libya – Thursday, 24 September – Egypt v Tunisia – Wednesday, 30 September – Egypt v Morocco – Saturday, 3 October – Egypt v Algeria – Tuesday, 6 October

The top two teams from the North Africa Championship will qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, which is scheduled to take place in Ghana in February 2027.

Four teams from that tournament will then qualify for the World Cup.

The next Under-20 World Cup will be held in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan during May and June 2027, with 24 nations taking part.