The anticipation surrounding Egypt’s national football team intensifies as Portuguese coach Roy Vitoria prepares to unveil his definitive squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 in Ivory Coast.
Scheduled to commence on January 13 and run through February 11, 2024, the AFCON tournament has witnessed Egypt’s triumphant journey under Vitoria’s leadership.
Topping their qualification group ahead of Guinea, Malawi, and Ethiopia, Egypt heads into the finals with high expectations.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) previously declared January 3 as the final deadline for submitting the definitive 27-player squads.
However, CAF emphasized that any team could replace a player due to injury, granted the change is approved by the CAF medical committee and occurs within 24 hours before the team’s first match.
A careful review of Egypt’s initial and final squad lists reveals Vitoria’s decisions, including the exclusions of notable players such as goalkeepers Mohamed Awad, Mahmoud Gad, and Mohamed Bassam.
In the defensive line, Mahmoud Marei, Karim Hafez, Akram Tawfik, Rami Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Mahmoud Hamdy El-Wensh, and others did not make the final cut.
In the midfield and attacking sections, players like Hussein El-Shahat, Mohamed Magdy “Afsha,” Nabil Emad “Dunga,” Ramadan Sobhi, Abdullah El Said, Sam Morsi, and others await confirmation.
It’s worth noting that each team can only field 23 players for any given match during the tournament.
