Egypt’s national team enjoyed a big lift in their final training session before facing South Africa on Friday in the second round of Group B at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Pharaohs come into the game after a dramatic 2–1 win over Zimbabwe, while South Africa also started with a 2–1 victory against Angola, raising the stakes for their direct clash.
The good news for Egypt was the full return of striker Mostafa Mohamed of Nantes and left-back Mohamed Hamdy of Pyramids, who both completed training after recovering from knocks sustained in the Zimbabwe match. The pair had missed Wednesday’s session due to injury complaints, but their participation in Thursday’s workout confirmed their readiness.
The session was attended by Egyptian FA president Hany Abu Rida, who held a brief meeting with head coach Hossam Hassan before urging the players to secure a second straight win and seal early qualification for the last 16.
Hassan also gave special instructions to winger Ahmed Zizo Mostafa during the training game, hinting he could start against South Africa.
