Egypt leave Mohamed Abdelmonem out of Malawi trip as Africa Cup of Nations qualification nears

Egypt manager Ali Maher has left Mohamed Abdelmonem out of the squad travelling to Malawi for Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier so the defender can continue his recovery from injury.

The decision was confirmed by the Egyptian Football Association, which said Maher had opted not to take the Nice defender to Malawi after consulting national-team doctor Mohamed Abu El Ela.

Abdelmonem joined Egypt’s training camp carrying the injury and did not feature in Friday’s first meeting with Malawi.

Egypt held a training session on Sunday morning before departing for Malawi later that afternoon. The Pharaohs are scheduled to arrive at 22:00 Cairo time.

The match is the fourth round of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, with Egypt in a strong position to reach the finals. The winners and runners-up in each qualifying group will progress to the tournament.

Egypt currently lead Group B on goal difference after the third round of matches, although Angola also have seven points. Malawi are third with three points, while South Sudan remain bottom without a point.

Angola moved level with Egypt after beating South Sudan 2-0, with the victory secured in second-half stoppage time.

Egypt’s superior goal difference could prove important. They have scored 10 goals without conceding, giving them a +10 goal difference, compared with Angola’s +4.

Egypt will face Malawi away on Tuesday, while Angola travel to play South Sudan on the same day.

The two leading teams can both secure qualification before the final two rounds if Egypt beat Malawi and Angola defeat South Sudan.

Those results would take Egypt and Angola to 10 points each, a total that Malawi and South Sudan could not match across the remaining two fixtures. The two qualified sides would then compete for top spot in Group B during the final stages of the qualifying campaign.