World Cup 2026: Egypt coach Hossam Hassan urged to deploy Salah as centre-forward at tournament

Former Al Ahly forward Ahmed Bilal has called on Egypt coach Hossam Hassan to deploy captain Mohamed Salah as a central striker at the 2026 World Cup tournament, stressing the former Liverpool forward would be more effective leading the attack.

The North African giants are putting the finishing touches to their preparations for the tournament, which gets underway this month in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Speaking on the “Here is the World Cup” programme on Al-Nahar TV, Bilal argued that Salah’s qualities would be better utilized through the middle, where he can have a greater influence in the final third.

“I think it is better for Mohamed Salah to play as a striker rather than on the wing, as this gives the team greater attacking effectiveness,” Bilal said.

The former Egypt international believes Salah’s intelligent movement, finishing ability and knack for deciding big matches make him ideally suited to spearhead the Pharaohs’ attack against elite opposition.

Bilal noted that playing Salah centrally would allow Egypt to take full advantage of his goalscoring instincts while creating more space for supporting attackers around him.

Alongside his comments on Salah, Bilal also backed Haitham Hassan to earn a place in Egypt’s starting lineup for the World Cup.

According to the former Al Ahly striker, Hassan has consistently shown the pace and technical quality needed to trouble defenders at the highest level.

“Haitham Hassan deserves to be in the starting lineup of the Egyptian national team in the coming period. He has outstanding abilities and great speed,” Bilal added.

Egypt will begin their World Cup campaign against Belgium national football team on June 15 before facing New Zealand national football team and Iran national football team in their remaining Group G fixtures.

With expectations high ahead of the tournament, Bilal believes a tactical tweak involving Salah’s position could give Egypt an added attacking edge as they seek to make history on the world stage.