By Toby TAIWO
Coach Hossam Hassan of Egypt is not leaving anything to chance as they meet Iran in their final group match on Saturday.
He said his team led by in-form Mo Salah will do everything to claim a win and three points to move on in the 2026 World Cup.
“All respect to the Iranian national team, as it is one of the strongest teams in Asia and occupies an advanced position in the world rankings, and we respect all competitors as we did in the previous two matches,” Hassan told reporters on Friday. “We have high ambitions, and our goal is to confirm qualification for the second round, and the players are fully focused on the match.”
Egypt Hassan said his side are fully focused on securing qualification for the Round of 32 when they face Iran in their decisive Group G finale in Seattle on Saturday, with captain Mohamed Salah closing in on the national team’s all-time scoring record.
A win for Egypt would confirm their place in the knockout stage for the first time in the team’s World Cup history, building on a memorable campaign that has already delivered the Pharaohs’ first-ever World Cup victory, a 3-1 comeback win over New Zealand. The outcome of Saturday’s match, and the simultaneous Belgium-New Zealand fixture, will determine who finishes top of the group.
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He described the tactical freedom given to Salah as central to his improved form at the tournament.
“I think it’s a new version of Mo Salah at the moment. He plays in a new position, he plays very freely in a very creative way,” Hassan said, adding that the relationship between the two was built on mutual respect. “Salah is an intelligent player with great experience. I am presenting Salah in a different way, where he moves freely in more than one position but within an organised tactical framework, and I believe that this will also benefit him with his new club in the future.”
On team news, Hassan said Egypt go into the match with their full 26-man squad available for selection despite injury concerns over Hamdy Fathy and Hossam Abdelmaguid.
“There are injuries like Hamdy Fathy and Hossam Abdelmaguid, but I have confidence in all the players, and I chose 26 players because they are all at the same level,” he said.
The coach added that managing the squad’s yellow-card situation was also a consideration heading into a potential knockout run.
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“We are also thinking about the yellow cards issue so that we don’t lose influential players if we qualify for the second round, but our first focus is on achieving victory,” he said.
Hassan also dismissed the notion that any team at this World Cup could be considered an easy opponent.
“Football has changed a lot, and there are no longer weak teams. Even African teams have a large number of professionals in Europe, which makes all matches difficult,” he said, adding that the team’s recent form reflected close cooperation between the technical, administrative and medical staff, as well as a balance of spirit, discipline, and tactical organisation.
Egypt’s hopes remain heavily tied to captain Mohamed Salah, who scored and assisted in the win over New Zealand while operating in a deeper, more central role than usual. Salah sits a single goal away from becoming Egypt’s joint all-time leading scorer, a record currently held by Hassan himself, but the coach insisted Saturday’s “high-stakes fixture” would not rest on individual brilliance alone.
“We do not put everything on one star or two stars and just bet that they will bring it for us,” Hassan said.
The build-up to Saturday’s match has also been shaped by local organisers’ decision to designate the fixture as Seattle’s “Pride Match,” a move that drew objections from both the Egyptian and Iranian football associations after December’s draw, given that homosexuality is criminalised in both countries. FIFA has said matters outside the stadium fall under the authority of host cities, while confirming that fans will be permitted to bring rainbow flags into the venue.
Egypt currently sit top of Group G after their opening draw with Belgium and their historic win over New Zealand. Victory over Iran on Saturday would seal their first-ever appearance in the World Cup’s knockout stage.
