Egyptian coach Hassan denies the rift with Salah ahead of the 2026 World Cup match against New Zealand

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan dismissed rumors of unrest surrounding talisman Mohamed Salah and insisted there were no problems within the squad as the African country prepares to face New Zealand in a crucial World Cup Group G match at BC Place on Sunday.

Salah, 34, scored nine goals in the qualifying campaign and provided an assist for Emam Ashour in Egypt’s opener against Belgium. He was substituted in the 76th minute of the 1-1 draw in Seattle, with highly rated teenager Hamza Abdelkarim coming on.

New Zealand also opened its campaign by sharing the points in a 2-2 draw with Iran in California, setting the group up well for Sunday’s encounter.

«Salah is an important player for our team, and the 26 players who are here with me are very important. Every player who has worked with me knows that I deal with them in a professional way. I have no favorites. Salah is a great player who helps his teammates. He has a lot of discipline and is a role model,» Hassan told reporters.

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«If he starts… or if he is substituted, that’s fine. It’s his role as a player. Everyone knows I work in the interest of the team and the national team. There are rumors about stars, about players, about teams. But Salah is someone who is very disciplined,» he added.

«He trains with us. He is the first player who would also say yes to my decisions as technical director. So I think he will be very positive tomorrow,» Hassan said.

Egypt and New Zealand are both aiming for their first ever World Cup victory to boost their chances of reaching the knockout stages. The Egyptians face their fourth final.

“We want to present something very positive,” Hassan said.

«We want to show that we have talent, not as something new, but as something that African national teams have always had as a tradition through generations of football players in Africa, for us and for international football… We drew in the first match, and we want to win and secure these points. This is our ambition for tomorrow; this is the ambition of the Egyptian people, for Egyptian football and also for African football. We represent all these people, and we really hope to perform,» he added.

Published on June 21, 2026