Egypt U20 coach rules out Hamza Abdelkarim for 2027 Africa Cup of Nations

Egypt U20 coach Ahmed Raouf says Barcelona player Hamza Abdelkarim is unlikely to feature at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, but hopes he will be available for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Egypt secured the North Africa Under-20 Championship and qualification for the continental tournament by beating Algeria 2-0 in the final round.

“Hamza Abdelkarim’s participation in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is unlikely, but we are looking forward to having him play at the FIFA U-20 World Cup,” Raouf told the programme Hona Al Qahera with Mohamed Hafez on On Sport.

Egypt would have needed only a draw against Algeria to win the North Africa tournament and qualify for the finals in Ghana. Raouf said, however, that his side approached the match with the intention of winning.

“On the other hand, nobody in the world expected Libya to beat Morocco,” he added.

“I was extremely worried after losing to Morocco and then having to play Algeria in a decisive match,” Raouf said.

Ghana will host the next Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in February 2027.

The North Africa qualifying tournament was held in Egypt, in Ismailia, at the Suez Canal Authority and Ismailia stadiums.

The success was Egypt’s fourth North Africa title, following victories in 2006, 2008 and 2012.

Egypt have now qualified for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations for a third successive edition and for the 20th time overall.

They began the tournament with a 2-0 win over Libya, followed that with a 2-1 victory against Tunisia and then lost 2-0 to Morocco. They concluded their campaign by defeating Algeria 2-0.

Egypt finished top of the table with nine points, two ahead of runners-up Morocco, who also qualified for the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.

Algeria placed third with four points, ahead of Libya on goal difference, while Tunisia finished bottom with three points.

The title marked a return to the top for Egypt after they finished third in the 2023 edition and runners-up in 2024.

It was also the first title of Wael Riyad’s coaching career.