Fifa correction leaves Mohamed Salah two goals short of Egypt record

Fifa has clarified that Mohamed Salah has not broken Hesham Hassan’s record as Egypt’s leading scorer, despite claiming a double in the 5-0 win over Malawi.

The Egypt captain scored twice at Cairo Stadium on Friday in the third round of Group B in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. His late goals appeared to take his international tally beyond Hassan’s mark of 69, but Fifa later corrected an error in its records and confirmed Salah has 68 goals.

Salah had endured a frustrating 84 minutes against Malawi, with several attempts kept out by the visitors’ defence and goalkeeper. He finally opened his account six minutes before full-time, heading in a precise cross from substitute Ibrahim Adel.

The forward then converted a stoppage-time penalty with a Panenka after Hamza Abdelkarim was brought down by the Malawi goalkeeper.

The two goals ended a four-match scoring drought for Salah with Egypt. His previous international goal had come against New Zealand in the second group match of the 2026 World Cup. He did not score against Iran, Australia or Argentina at the tournament, nor in Egypt’s opening Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Angola. He was also absent from the 5-0 victory over South Sudan in the second round.

Salah’s celebrations after the Malawi match fuelled the debate over his total. His team-mates congratulated him at the final whistle, while the player later posted a photograph of himself holding a piece of paper displaying the number “70”.

Some statistical sources, including the French network Stats Foot, counted 70 goals and therefore considered Salah to have overtaken Hassan. Transfermarkt, however, listed him on 68.

The dispute centres on a 10-0 friendly win against Eswatini in 2013, when Salah scored twice. Questions were raised over whether Fifa recognised the match as an official international because Egypt manager Bob Bradley made 10 substitutions, more than the permitted limit for recognised fixtures. The game also did not appear on the Egypt match list published on Fifa’s official website.

Fifa subsequently added to the uncertainty by publishing a report after Salah scored against New Zealand that listed him as having 68 international goals. That figure was used by some outlets to suggest he had reached 70 after the Malawi match.

As the controversy grew, Fifa amended the report, reducing the number from 68 to 66 and acknowledging that the original total was incorrect. Salah’s two goals against Malawi therefore brought him to 68, leaving Hassan’s record intact.

Salah can equal the record against Malawi again on Tuesday, 17 November 2026, when Egypt travel for the fourth round of qualifying. One goal would draw him level with Hassan, while two would make him Egypt’s outright leading scorer.

The achievement would carry additional significance because Hassan was dismissed last week, despite guiding Egypt to qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Reports have suggested tension between the former manager and Salah was among the factors surrounding his departure.

The dispute intensified after Hassan substituted Salah after 60 minutes against Angola. Reports later alleged that the manager had insulted Egypt players in the dressing room at half-time. Salah subsequently left the camp and did not travel for the South Sudan match.

Egyptian Football Association president Hany Abu Rida travelled to Turkey in an attempt to calm relations, but Hassan declined to make the trip. The dispute later escalated before he was removed from his position.