Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has dismissed rumors of internal discord involving star player Mohamed Salah, insisting the squad is united ahead of their decisive World Cup 2026 Group G clash against New Zealand at BC Place in Vancouver.
“Salah is an important player in the squad, and all 26 players here are very important,” Hassan told reporters on Sunday. “Every player who has worked with me knows I treat them professionally. I don’t have any favorites.”
Salah, 34, has scored nine goals in World Cup qualifying and provided an assist for Emam Ashour in the opening match against Belgium. He was substituted in the 76th minute of a 1-1 draw in Seattle, making way for young talent Hamza Abdelkarim.
New Zealand also opened their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Iran in Los Angeles, making Group G a tight contest heading into Sunday’s showdown.
“Salah is a great player, always helping his teammates. He is highly disciplined and a role model for everyone,” Hassan emphasized. “If he starts... or is substituted, that is normal. That is a player’s job. Everyone knows I work for the good of the national team and Egyptian football.”
“Rumors spread about stars, about players, about the team. But Salah is a very disciplined person. He trains with us. He is the first player who always agrees with my decisions as technical director. So I think he will be very positive tomorrow.”
Both Egypt and New Zealand are seeking their first World Cup win to keep knockout-stage hopes alive. Egypt is appearing in its fourth World Cup.
“We want to deliver something very positive,” Hassan added. “We want to show that we have talent, nothing new, but as is the tradition of African teams across generations of players. We drew our first match and we want to win to take full points. That is our ambition for tomorrow, for the Egyptian people, for Egyptian football, and for African football.”
