Mohamed Salah starts for Egypt in their World Cup 2026 round-of-32 clash against Australia today, overcoming a hamstring strain sustained in the previous match against Iran. The Liverpool star was a doubt after being substituted in the 1-1 draw, but an intensive rehabilitation program has allowed him to return to partial training and earn a place in the starting XI.
Salah's Fitness and Egypt's Injury Concerns
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan revealed that Salah underwent an intensive rehabilitation program after the Iran match. "Against Iran, we learned that he suffered a hamstring strain during the second half and asked to be substituted. Our very distinguished medical department took care of that, and we tried to introduce him to partial team training as of yesterday only," Hassan said. He added, "But Salah is a passionate player; he is very much looking forward to making his own contributions with his teammates tomorrow. Of course, I am not going to run any risk unless I am sure that he is 100 per cent fit."
While Salah starts, it remains unclear if he can play the full 90 minutes. Other Egypt players under monitoring include Hamdy Fathy (groin), Hossam Abdelmaguid (head), and Mohamed Abdelmonem (ankle). Ahmed Fatouh is ruled out with a hamstring injury. Midfielder Mohanad Lasheen is suspended after receiving his second yellow card against Iran, forcing at least one change to the lineup.
Australia's Team News and Lineup
Australia will be without Jacob Italiano (groin) and Mathew Leckie (hamstring). Head coach Tony Popovic has stuck with the side that drew with Paraguay in Group D. Centre-back Lucas Herrington retains his place after a composed performance. Watford's Nestory Irankunda leads the attack; the 20-year-old has scored six goals in 18 international appearances and netted once in this World Cup.
Australia XI: Beach; Circati, Behich, Souttar, Herrington; Bos, O'Neill, Metcalfe, Irvine; Volpato, Irankunda. Substitutes: Ryan, Izzo, Degenek, Geria, Trewin, Burgess, Devlin, Okon Jr, Toure, Hrustic, Mabil, Velupillay, Yengi.
Egypt XI: Shobeir; Ibrahim, Hany, Rabia, Hafez; Ashour, Ziko, Fathy, Attia; Salah, Marmoush. Substitutes: El Shenawy, Soliman, Alaa, Abdelmaguid, Alaa, Emad, Saber, Trezeguet, Abdelkarim, Hassan, Adel, Zizo.
Match Details and Live Coverage
The match kicks off at 7pm BST on Friday, July 3, 2026, at Dallas Stadium. It will be broadcast live on BBC One. Follow live updates and analysis as Egypt and Australia battle for a place in the round of 16.
