Ali Maher takes over as Egypt coach before the Malawi qualifiers

Egypt has a new national team coach. The Egyptian Football Association's board ended Hossam Hassan's contract and that of his staff on Saturday 7 November, and named Ali Maher to replace him, Egyptian Streets reported. The board said it had reviewed what had happened over the past period and found it had hurt the team's image and stability, and thanked Hassan and his staff in line with the terms of the contract.

Ali Maher, 52, comes from a successful spell at Ceramica Cleopatra. Before that he coached Smouha, ENPPI, Al Masry and Modern Sport, so he knows the Egyptian league well. The association has asked him to present his plans for the rest of the technical staff, and no assistants have been named yet.

Hossam Hassan, Egypt's all-time top scorer as a player, took over in February 2024 from the Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria. His record was 38 matches, with 21 wins, 10 draws and 7 defeats. Egypt finished fourth at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and reached the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup, where they lost 3-2 to Argentina; the association then extended his contract to 2030. After that match FIFA banned Hassan and his twin brother Ibrahim, the team director, for three matches, which would have kept both off the bench against Malawi. Days before the decision, Egypt's media regulator had also barred Hassan from appearing in the media.

The change comes at a tight moment. The squad's training camp starts on Monday 9 November, ahead of two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Malawi.

For fans, the first chance to see the new coach's Egypt is the home qualifier against Malawi at Cairo International Stadium on Friday 13 November; the return game is away on 17 November. Match tickets for national team games are usually sold on Tazkarti, which needs a Fan ID, so if you plan to go, make sure yours is active and watch the app for the sale date, which has not been announced yet.