Imam Ashour Returns to Lead Egypt Against Ivory Coast in AFCON Quarterfinal
10 January 2026
Lineup and Key Changes
Hossam Hassan, Egypt’s head coach, announced the Pharaohs’ lineup to face Ivory Coast this Saturday evening in the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal hosted by Morocco.
Imam Ashour returns to lead the midfield after coming off the bench in the last three matches, returning to the starting XI since the opener against Zimbabwe.
Hossam Abdel-Magd also returns to captain the defense after starting against Zimbabwe and then dropping to the bench.
Egypt again sticks with a three-man backline for the fourth straight game.
The following is the Egypt lineup for the Ivory Coast clash:
Goalkeeper: Mohamed El-Shenawy.
Defense: Hossam Abdel-Magd, Yasser Ibrahim, Ramy Rabia.
Midfield: Mohamed Hany, Hamdi Fathi, Marwan Attia, Imam Ashour, Ahmed Fattouh.
Attack: Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush.
Road to the Quarterfinals and What’s Next
Egypt progressed to the quarterfinal after beating Zimbabwe and South Africa, drawing with Angola, topping Group B, and defeating Benin 3-1 in the Round of 16.
They aim to win the title, last lifted in 2010.
With Ashour back, Egypt hope to balance creativity and solidity in midfield as they chase their first AFCON trophy since 2010.
Punchline: Egypt's defense is so tight the ball files a restraining order.
Punchline: If strategy were a weapon, Hassan would already win.
