Barcelona's young forward Hamza Abdel Karim has earned a call-up to the Egyptian national team for the November international break. New Pharaohs boss Ali Maher named him in a 26-man squad for the two qualifiers against Malawi ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Spanish newspaper "Sport" report that the call-up underlines Maher's intent to lean on the young forward. He handed Abdel Karim a place in his first squad since replacing Hossam Hassan, a move that opens a fresh chapter for the player with Egypt.
First up for Egypt is Malawi next Friday in Cairo. The sides then meet again on Tuesday the 17th in Lilongwe, the Malawian capital, in the continental qualifiers.
For Hamza Abdel Karim, this is a chance to cement his international standing and bank more experience. He will train alongside some of the biggest names in Egyptian football, led by Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush.
Maher and the young forward have never worked together before. Including him in that first squad, though, shows the head coach wants to give him a role in his plans over the coming period, even if it remains unclear how much he will feature across the two matches.
Egypt sit top of Group Two on 4 points. Two wins over Malawi would tighten their grip at the summit and edge them closer to qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.