The absence of Hegazy and Tariq Hamed from the Egyptian national team list

Al-Ittihad players Ahmed Hegazy and Tariq Hamed were absent from the Egyptian national football team, which was called up by the Portuguese Roy Vitoria, in preparation for the two matches against Guinea in the Moroccan city of Marrakech, in the penultimate fifth round of the African Cup of Nations qualifiers scheduled in Ivory Coast in early 2024, and South Sudan in a friendly in Cairo.

Vitoria preferred to rest Hegazy, the captain and defender of Al-Ittihad, after a difficult season with his team, while Hamed was absent due to injury.

The Pharaohs lead the Group D standings with nine points, with a difference from the direct confrontation against Guinea (Egypt won 1-0 in the first round) and with a difference of six points against Ethiopia, its guest in the last sixth round.

Egypt needs a draw only to reach the finals, regardless of the outcome of its last match against Ethiopia, and the same goes for Guinea, which is visiting Malawi in the last round.