Salah leads Egypt past old doubts into Argentina World Cup test
Egypt’s 2026 run has reopened debate over Mohamed Salah’s legacy and the title-winning generation that never reached a World Cup.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Mohamed Salah has taken Egypt into the World Cup knockout rounds in 2026, giving the country a fresh chance to measure its current team against a celebrated past. Egypt’s progress matters because Salah’s international career has long been judged against the African champions of 2006, 2008 and 2010, a side that never reached the World Cup.
Egypt beat Australia on penalties in the round of 32 in Dallas, with Salah playing 120 minutes and scoring from the spot with a Panenka, according to Al Jazeera. The win set up a round-of-16 match against defending champions Argentina on Tuesday.
Ahmed Elshiekh, a former Egypt player now covering the World Cup for Modern MTI TV, told Al Jazeera that the comparison between Salah’s team and the earlier generation is unfair. He said that side “did everything but get to the World Cup” and pointed to its win over Italy while Italy were world champions, adding that qualifying draws hurt Egypt’s chances.
Salah, 34, is captain of the current team and remains its central figure. Al Jazeera reported that his nine years at Liverpool brought every major club trophy available to him and made him the highest-scoring foreign player in Premier League history.
His record with Egypt has carried heavier scrutiny. Salah helped Egypt qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but the team lost all three matches and exited first, while Salah, recovering from a dislocated shoulder suffered in the Champions League final, scored twice, according to Al Jazeera.
Egypt also lost the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final to Senegal on penalties, then lost another shootout to Senegal in a World Cup playoff 13 months later. Al Jazeera reported that Salah was listed as Egypt’s fifth taker in the AFCON final shootout and did not take a kick; in the playoff shootout, he went first and missed.
Those setbacks kept the focus on Egypt’s previous title-winning side, led by Mohamed Aboutrika. Al Jazeera described Aboutrika as a national icon known both for his skill and for wearing a “Sympathise with Gaza” shirt.
Hassan and Salah reset the mood
Hossam Hassan’s arrival as Egypt manager followed Rui Vitoria’s dismissal after AFCON 2023, where Salah was injured and returned to Liverpool for rehabilitation. Before taking the job, Hassan said as a television analyst that if Salah had left a tournament under his management, he would “never pick him for the national team again,” according to Al Jazeera.
The relationship changed after Hassan’s appointment. Elshiekh told Al Jazeera that Hassan has a strong captain’s personality and gives Egypt a sturdy defensive base, even if he does not regard him as the strongest tactician.
Under Hassan, Egypt qualified for the 2026 World Cup unbeaten, winning eight of 10 qualifiers, according to Al Jazeera. The team also reached the semifinals of the 2025 AFCON tournament.
Egypt’s squad is not built around Salah alone. Al Jazeera cited Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush and Al Ahly’s Emam Ashour among the team’s leading talents. Ashour scored against Australia and later said he was happy to be compared with Aboutrika.
Aboutrika, now a beIN Sports analyst, told Ashour he was “better” because he had scored twice at a World Cup, and called the Australia win the biggest night in Egyptian football history, according to Al Jazeera. Sports and politics writer Karim Zidan offered a more cautious view, saying Egypt are better than in recent years but remain “remarkably fragile.”
Salah has continued to defer to Aboutrika in the debate over Egypt’s greatest player. Asked again about that question, Salah said there was “absolutely no discussion,” according to Al Jazeera.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.