PreviewMohamed Salah set to embark on AFCON campaign with Egypt
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt will begin their quest for Africa Cup of Nations glory on Sunday.
The Liverpool forward is aiming to help the Pharaohs succeed in the 2023 edition of a tournament his nation has won on seven previous occasions.
Read our guide to what’s coming up for the Reds No.11…
How they qualified
Egypt booked their ticket to the Ivory Coast by topping a qualifying section that included Ethiopia, Guinea and Malawi.
They won five and lost one of their six preliminary fixtures, scoring 10 goals and conceding only three.
Group stage
Salah and his compatriots have been drawn in Group B of the opening phase and will face Cape Verde, Ghana and Mozambique.
First up for Egypt is a 5pm GMT kick-off versus Mozambique on Sunday, followed by a clash with Ghana at 8pm GMT on January 18. Their final fixture of the group stage comes against Cape Verde at 8pm GMT on January 22.
All three of those games will be played at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan.
Format and dates
The top two teams in each of the six groups will progress to the competition’s last 16, joined by the four best third-placed finishers.
The first batch of knockout-round ties will be held from January 27 to 30, with the quarter-finals scheduled for February 2/3.
Both semi-finals are set for February 7 and a third-place play-off will be contested on February 10.
Abidjan’s 60,000-capacity Alassane Ouattara Stadium will host the AFCON final on February 11, kicking off at 8pm GMT.
AFCON record
Egypt were crowned champions in each of the first two editions of the tournament and overall have lifted the trophy a record seven times.
The most recent of those triumphs came in 2010.
The Pharaohs have finished runners-up in two of the past three AFCONs, with Salah featuring in the finals against Cameroon and Senegal in 2017 and 2022 respectively.
Salah has scored six goals in his 17 previous appearances at the tournament.
What he said
Salah: “It’s a great feeling every time you step on the field with the national team jersey. It’s something I cannot take for granted.
“I am just happy to be there, happy to play in the tournament. I want to win this competition. I would love to win it.”