Hossam Hassan responds to criticism over Mostafa Mohamed’s World Cup exclusion

Egypt national team coach Hossam Hassan has defended his controversial decision to leave Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed out of the Pharaohs squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The exclusion of the forward came as a major surprise after Hassan omitted him from the initial 27-man squad, which has now been reduced to 26 players. Mostafa Mohamed had previously been included in every national team camp since Hassan took charge of Egypt.

Egypt secure morale boosting victory

The Egyptian national team boosted confidence ahead of the World Cup after defeating Russia 1-0 in an international friendly on Thursday evening at Cairo Stadium.

The Pharaohs are expected to travel to the United States in the coming hours for another high-profile friendly against Brazil as preparations continue for the global tournament.

Hassan breaks silence on exclusion

Speaking during the post-match press conference, Hossam Hassan addressed questions surrounding the omission of Mostafa Mohamed and insisted that coaches should be trusted in their selection decisions.

“No one discusses with the foreign coach the reasons for including players, and there are great players in the world who have been excluded and things are proceeding normally,” Hassan said.

He added: “In Egypt, we are used to saying that when a foreign coach excludes a player, it is the coach’s idea and vision, so consider me a foreigner.”

Coach highlights past decisions

Hassan also pointed to examples from previous national team setups to defend his choices, referring to former Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz and his handling of defender Mohamed Abdel Moneim.

“There is a foreign coach (referring to Carlos Queiroz) who relied on Mohamed Abdel Moneim in the Egyptian national team, and in the end, he became the only player from whom we benefited,” he stated.

The Egypt coach further highlighted his own role in discovering and rebuilding players throughout his managerial career.

“I brought in players whose names people didn’t know, and then they joined big clubs. There are players who came back from crises and injuries, played with me, and regained their form, like Ahmed Fatouh,” he added.

Hassan also praised players he previously worked with, saying: “I brought Islam Issa to the Egyptian club from Al-Nasr, and he was one of the best players in the national team when he joined, and I miss him along with Mohamed Hamdi.”

Egypt’s World Cup challenge

Egypt will compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a challenging group featuring Belgium, Iran, and New Zealand as the Pharaohs aim to progress beyond the group stage.