Ali Maher has named his first Egypt squad as head coach, picking his group for two fixtures against Malawi in the third and fourth rounds of 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying. These are the opening tests of a new era for the Pharaohs.
Egypt's camp begins on 9 November at the National Teams Centre. The Pharaohs want to strengthen their lead in Group Two across both matches and edge closer to the continental tournament.
Maher's selection brings plenty of changes, chief among them the return of five players: Al-Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy, Mahmoud Hamdi "El-Wensh", Mohamed Shehata, Nasser Maher and Mahmoud Marei.
An attacking surprise also stands out. Maher has handed a first call-up to Mahmoud Mamdouh, the Modern Sport striker and the Egyptian league's top scorer with 8 goals, rewarding his impressive form since the start of the season.
Emam Ashour misses out again. The Al-Ahly midfielder is absent for technical reasons, while Al-Ahly Bank goalkeeper Abdelaziz El-Balaoty drops out following El-Shenawy's return.
Omar Fayed also falls away. The Frosinone defender joined up during the last international break to cover for the injured Hamdy Fathy, and now the Al-Wakrah man is left out himself through injury.
Another to miss out is Ali Mahmoud, the Al-Ahly midfielder who won his first cap in the last camp, with Zamalek's Mohamed Shehata coming back into the fold this time.
Mahmoud Hassan "Trezeguet" features among the headline returnees. The Al-Riyadh man is back after shaking off the injury that ruled him out of the last international break.
Mostafa Mohamed, meanwhile, remains on the outside. The Konyaspor striker has not been considered since the Pharaohs' AFCON campaign last January.
Egypt's squad for the two fixtures against Malawi came as follows:
Goalkeeping: Mohamed El-Shenawy (Al-Ahly), Mahdy Soliman (Zamalek), Mostafa Shobier (Al-Ahly), Mohamed Alaa (Ceramica Cleopatra).
Defence: Mahmoud Hamdi "El-Wensh" (Zamalek), Hossam Abdelmaguid (Bulgaria's Ludogorets), Rami Rabia (UAE's Al-Ain), Mohamed Abdelmonem (France's Nice), Mahmoud Marei (Pyramids), Mohamed Hany (Al-Ahly), Karim Hafez (Pyramids), Ahmed Fatouh (Zamalek), Tarek Alaa (Zed).
Midfield: Marwan Attia (Al-Ahly), Mohanad Lasheen (Pyramids), Mahmoud Saber (Pyramids), Mohamed Shehata (Zamalek), Nasser Maher (Pyramids), Ibrahim Adel (Denmark's Nordsjaelland), Mahmoud Hassan "Trezeguet" (Saudi Arabia's Al-Riyadh), Ahmed Sayed "Zizo" (Al-Ahly), Haitham Hassan (Scotland's Celtic).
Attack: Mohamed Salah (Turkey's Trabzonspor), Omar Marmoush (England's Tottenham), Hamza Abdelkarim (Spain's Barcelona), Mahmoud Mamdouh (Modern Sport).
Cairo International Stadium hosts the first leg on 13 November. The sides then meet again on the 17th at Bingu International Stadium in Malawi for the fourth round of qualifying.
Egypt share Group Two with Angola, South Sudan and Malawi. The Pharaohs top the table on 4 points, ahead of Angola in second on goal difference, while Malawi sit third with 3 points and South Sudan prop up the group with none.
Egypt opened their campaign with a goalless draw away to Angola. They then found their rhythm with a thumping 5-0 win over South Sudan on the road.