Egypt’s Third-Place Showdown: Shoubir Starts, Marmoush on the Bench Against Nigeria
17 January 2026
Lineups and context
The Egypt national team's technical staff, led by coach Hossam Hassan, announced the starting XI for the Pharaohs ahead of their third place clash with Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Absences and bench decisions
Egypt will be without six players: Marwan Atia and Salah Mohsen due to CAF disciplinary sanctions following gestures after the semi-final against Senegal.
Mohamed Hamdi, Yasser Ibrahim, and Ahmed Fattouh are also sidelined with injuries, while Hossam Abdel-Majeed misses out due to accumulation of bookings.
Starting XI and key choices
The lineup shows Omar Marmoush of Manchester City on the bench, while Mustafa Mohamed of Nantes starts up front. The coach also starts Mostafa Shoubir in goal for a second tournament appearance, with Mohamed El Shennawy on the bench.
The Pharaohs' lineup is as follows:
Goalkeeper: Mostafa Shoubir.
Defense: Hamdi Fathi, Rami Rabia, Khaled Sobhi, Mohamed Hany, Mahmoud Hassan 'Trezeguet'.
Midfield: Mohanad Lasheen, Ahmed Mustafa 'Zizou', Imam Ashour.
Attack: Mohamed Salah, Mustafa Mohamed.
Punchlines for the road: If this squad were a movie, the trailer would be suspenseful but the plot twist is a bench with snacks. And yes, the only thing faster than Salah sprinting could be the VAR delay—cue dramatic music.
