Many would find it surprising that Egypt, a country with such rich history in football and with large stretches of dominance in the sport on the African continent, have only made it to the World Cup on three previous occasions: 1934, 1990, and 2018.The first African nation to appear at the World Cup, Egypt are now set for a fourth appearance and head to North America searching for a first match victory in the competition.How Egypt qualified for the 2026 World CupThe Pharaohs went unbeaten in World Cup qualifying, topping a Group A that included Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia and Djibouti, to punch a direct ticket to North America.The record seven-time African champions conceded just two goals across the 10 games they contested in the group, their rock-solid defence helping them notch eight wins and two draws.Mohamed Salah found the back of the net nine times, scoring the second-most goals in CAF World Cup qualifying, just one behind Algeria’s Mohamed Amoura.Mahmoud Trezeguet was next in line for Egypt, with five goals scored during the qualifiers. How are they shaping up?Despite their mixed performances at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt managed to make it to the semi-finals in Morocco – a result which guaranteed Hossam Hassan would keep his role as head coach and guide the Pharaohs at the World Cup this summer.Premier League duo Salah and Omar Marmoush led the team’s attack, with support from the likes of Zizo, Trezeguet and Emam Ashour behind them, but barring brave performances, against South Africa in the group stage and defending champions Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals, the North Africans often looked passive and lacked offensive firepower.While a fourth-place finish was an acceptable result, Egypt left Morocco with several question marks surrounding the squad’s readiness for the World Cup.The friendlies they played in March provided a timely boost as the Pharaohs – sans Salah – handed Saudi Arabia a 4-0 drubbing in Jeddah before holding Spain to a goalless draw in Barcelona.Defender Ahmed Fatouh shone at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium as he successfully neutralised the threat of Lamine Yamal, while Marmoush, who was one of the scorers against Saudi Arabia, was a key threat against Spain, and almost opened the scoring for the visitors but his first-half effort from the edge of the box hit the post.Egypt have two important warm-up fixtures coming up, against Russia in Cairo on May 28 and against Brazil in Ohio on June 6, as they look to put the finishing touches to their World Cup preparations.Salah’s last hurrah?A tumultuous season for departing Liverpool star Salah will reach its climax in North America, where he will be tasked with leading Egypt for what is very likely his last time at a World Cup.The "Egyptian King" turns 34 on the day of the Pharaohs’ opening game against Belgium in Seattle, and he’ll be keen to put a difficult 2025/26 campaign behind him by stepping up for his country.Salah has been accused in the past of not performing at his best with the national team in comparison to his record-breaking performances with Liverpool, but the Basyoun native has the numbers to prove just how much he has contributed to Egypt.The 33-year-old netted 67 international goals in 115 appearances and is just two goals shy of matching Hassan’s all-time record of 69 goals.▶Salah has been recovering from a hamstring injury he picked up against Crystal Palace at the end of last month but is expected to be back on the pitch before the season ends and he bids farewell to Liverpool.The last time he was with the national team, during the Afcon, where the team spent most of the time based in a beachfront hotel in Agadir, Salah said it was the “most fun” camp he’s ever been part of.Will the twins rise to the occasion?Legendary twins, Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan, have a storied history as players and are now looking to add to their legacy by guiding Egypt to unprecedented results at the World Cup.Hossam, the head coach, and Ibrahim, the team director, had careers defined by both success and controversy – their temperament earning them as many headlines as their footballing talent and performances garnered.In their current roles, they have been most effective in rebuilding team spirit and instilling passion and brotherhood among the players.It explains why Salah had that much fun during camp in Morocco, and why the players are ready to give their all on the pitch for the nation’s favourite twins.But is team spirit enough to deliver results? While Hossam earned enough support and goodwill from the public for taking the team to the Afcon semis, there were glaring deficiencies when it came to making mid-match decisions and coming up with tactical alternatives against teams like Senegal and Nigeria.The friendlies in March were promising, but they were also low stakes, without any competition pressure. The World Cup will be a different story.It will be interesting to see how the head coach will manage the high stakes in a Group G that offers genuine opportunity for advancing to the next stage.Can Hamza solve Egypt’s striker problem?In a somewhat surprising twist, Hossam Hassan snubbed Nantes forward Mostafa Mohamed and called up 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim, who recently joined Barcelona’s U19 side, on loan from Al Ahly. Abdelkarim was attending high school in Cairo while his work permit was being readied for him to make the move to Spain in January. When he finally joined Barcelona, he scored five goals in his first seven league games with the U19 team. The striker excelled for Egypt at the U17 level and, despite his limited experience on any senior squad, has earned a ticket to North America with the World Cup-bound Pharaohs. With Egypt lacking a pure No 9, Abdelkarim could be the answer Hassan has been looking for. Will he get any minutes? It won’t be a huge surprise if he does. FixturesGroup GJune 15: v Belgium - Seattle StadiumJune 21: v New Zealand - BC Place, VancouverJune 26: v Iran - Seattle StadiumSquadGoalkeepers: Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly), Mostafa Shobeir (Al Ahly), El Mahdi Soliman (Zamalek), Mohamed Alaa (El Gouna).Defenders: Mohamed Hany (Al Ahly), Tarek Alaa (Zed), Hamdy Fathy (Al Wakrah), Rami Rabia (Al Ain), Yasser Ibrahim (Al Ahly), Hossam Abdelmaguid (Zamalek), Mohamed Abdelmonemn (Nice), Ahmed Fatouh (Zamalek), Karim Hafez (Pyramids).Midfielders: Marwan Ateya (Al Ahly), Mohanad Lasheen (Pyramids), Nabil Emad (Al Najma), Mahmoud Saber (Zed), Ahmed Zizo (Al Ahly), Emam Ashour (Al Ahly), Mostafa Ziko (Pyramids), Mahmoud Trezeguet (Al Ahly), Ibrahim Adel (Nordsjaelland), Haissem Hassan (Real Ovideo).Forwards: Omar Marmoush (Manchester City), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Aqtay Abdallah (Enppi), Hamza Abdelkarim (Barcelona).