Egypt name nine overseas players in 2026 Women’s Afcon squad as tournament expands to 16 teams

Mohamed Kamal has called up nine foreign-based players in a 26-strong Egypt women’s squad for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where the Pharaohs will make their first appearance at the finals in a decade.

Morocco will stage the tournament from 26 July to 16 August, with Egypt drawn in a daunting group alongside record champions Nigeria, Zambia and Malawi.

It is Egypt’s third appearance at the Women’s Afcon and their first since 2016. They are one of four sides – along with Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Mali – invited by organisers to increase the line-up from 12 teams to 16.

Overseas core and domestic backbone

Kamal’s selection features professionals playing in Morocco, Canada, the United States, China and England, underlining a growing overseas presence in the women’s game.

The squad also leans heavily on the domestic scene, with seven players selected from league and cup winners Masar, seven from Al Ahly, two from Wadi Degla and one from Palm Hills.

Egypt will open their campaign against Zambia on 28 July, face Malawi on 1 August and conclude the group phase against Nigeria on 5 August.

Full Egypt squad for 2026 Women’s Afcon

Goalkeepers: Maha El Demerdash (Al Ahly), Habiba Sabry (Masar), Farah Samir (Wadi Degla)

Defenders: Nora Khaled (Al Ahly), Nour Abdelwahid El Sayed (Masar), Eman Hassan (Al Ahly), Sebina Charch (University of Texas, USA), Nada Emad (Masar), Camelia El Hofi (Wydad, Morocco), Christina Salama (West Virginia University, USA), Habiba Bektash (Masar), Soraya Ashraf (Al Ahly)

Midfielders: Laila Idris (UCLA Bruins, USA), Amira Mohamed (Masar), Dana Karim (Southern Illinois, USA), Menna Tarek (Wadi Degla), Mahira Ali (Beijing, China), Mariam El Demerdash (Crooks University, USA), Baskouta Ezzat (Wadi Degla)

Forwards: Nadine Ghazi (Al Ahly), Leah Khairy (L1QC, Canada), Habiba Essam (Al Ahly), Farah El Mahdi (Masar), Yasmine Abdelaziz (Masar), Sarah Essam (Halifax Town, England), Camelia Abou Youssef (Palm Hills)

Egypt’s participation this year comes via a special invitation rather than through the qualifying process, but Kamal’s group will be aiming to take advantage of the expanded format and reach the knockout stages for the first time in the team’s history.