Egypt midfielder Hamdi Fathi undergoes successful nose surgery

Egyptian international midfielder Hamdi Fathi has undergone surgery on his nose after suffering an injury while in action for Qatari club Al Wakrah.

Fathi, who was left out of Egypt’s current national team camp because of the injury, shared a picture of himself following the operation on his Instagram account.

The midfielder accompanied the picture with a brief message of gratitude, writing: “Thank God.”

Fathi sustained the injury during Al Wakrah’s Qatar Cup meeting with Al Sailiya shortly before the start of the current international break.

The setback came at an unfortunate time for the experienced midfielder, who had been part of Egypt’s squad at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and remains an important option in the national team setup.

Fathi featured for the Pharaohs during the World Cup but missed one of Egypt’s matches at the tournament because of injury. His latest setback has now ruled him out of the team’s ongoing preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Egypt are currently preparing for their second Group B qualifier against South Sudan, with the match scheduled for Tuesday at Juba Stadium.

The Pharaohs opened their qualifying campaign with a frustrating 0-0 draw against Angola at the Cairo International Stadium, leaving Hossam Hassan’s side searching for their first victory of the campaign.

Fathi’s absence means Hassan will have to continue without one of his experienced midfield options as Egypt look to improve on their opening result and collect maximum points in Juba.

The Egyptian delegation travelled to South Sudan on Sunday afternoon aboard a private plane as preparations intensified for the crucial encounter.

Egypt have been drawn in Group B alongside South Sudan, Angola and Malawi, with the top teams battling for places at the 2027 AFCON finals.

For Fathi, the immediate priority will be recovering fully from the nose injury following surgery before returning to club and international football.

The Al Wakrah midfielder will now begin his recovery programme as Egypt continue their qualification campaign without him.