Egypt coach Hossam Hassan warns players against complacency ahead of Angola AFCON qualifier

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has urged his players to remain focused as the Pharaohs prepare to open their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Angola.

The North African giants will face Angola on Friday, September 25, 2026 in their opening Group L fixture.

Ahead of the match, Hassan expressed confidence in his squad while stressing the importance of making a strong start to the campaign.

“I trust the national team players after God, and tomorrow is a new beginning for us and a new goal for the national team, which is to qualify for the African Cup of Nations,” Hassan said.

The former Egypt striker also warned his players against losing concentration following the team’s recent successes.

“After any period of great success, it is possible that there will be a lapse in concentration, but I have warned the players about that, and God willing, they will be ready for tomorrow’s match,” he added.

Hassan admitted that preparations have been complicated by injuries and the limited time available to work with his squad, noting that the team only completed its first full training session after all players had arrived.

“There are injuries and difficulties, but we are trying to work in these circumstances. Imagine, the first full training session was the day before yesterday with the arrival of all the players,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Hassan has highlighted the challenge of competing against African nations with large numbers of players based abroad.

“All African teams have at least 16 professional players, while all my national team players are from the local league. The same thing happened in the World Cup; I was the only coach who had a local squad, except for Salah and Omar Marmoush, who were present, but their circumstances were not the best,” Hassan concluded.