Egypt name three overseas-based players in Under-20 squad for North Africa qualifiers

Egypt Under-20 head coach Wael Riyad has named his squad for the North Africa qualifiers, with three players based abroad included in the group.

The tournament will feature Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, and will be staged in Ismailia from 21 September to 6 October 2026.

Matches will be played at Suez Canal Authority Stadium and Ismailia Stadium.

The overseas players in Riyad’s squad are Jonas Al-Mallah of Swedish club IFK Haninge, Adham Karim of Belgian side RFC Liege and Mohamed Haitham of Spanish club Racing Santander.

The full Egypt squad is:

Goalkeepers: Omar Abdel Aziz (Zamalek), Eyad Tamer (Al Ahly), Youssef Bashir (ENPPI).

Defenders: Eyad Medhat (Al Ahly), Mohamed Abdel Basir (ENPPI), Abdullah Bedeir (Pyramids), Omar Al-Amin (Modern Sport), Nour Ashraf (ENPPI), Mohamed Awad (ZED), Mohamed Farag (Zamalek), Hamza El-Degwy (Al Ahly), Mohannad El-Shamy (Al Ahly).

Midfielders: Mohamed Samir Konta (Ismaily), Mohamed Raafat (Al Ahly), Omar Tharwat (Al Mokawloon Al Arab), Jonas Al-Mallah (IFK Haninge), Omar Al-Azab (ENPPI), Yassin Atef (Al Ahly), Anas Roshdy (ENPPI), Mahmoud Salah (Al Ahly), Mohamed Hamad (Zamalek), Adham Karim (RFC Liege).

Forwards: Mohamed Haitham (Racing Santander), Ali El-Garhy (Tala’ea El Gaish), Mohamed Abdel Fattah “Taha” (Al Ahly).

The top two teams in the North Africa competition will qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, which is scheduled to take place in Ghana in February 2027.

Four teams will qualify for the Under-20 World Cup through the Africa Cup of Nations.

The next Under-20 World Cup will be hosted by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in May and June 2027, with 24 national teams taking part.