Hamza Abdelkarim, a young forward linked to Barcelona, was called up by the Egyptian national team for the 2026 World Cup.
He made history as the youngest player to debut for Egypt’s senior team in a World Cup during their opening group match against Belgium, which ended 1-1. Abdelkarim played 14 minutes in that game.
In Egypt’s second group game against New Zealand, finishing 3-1 in Egypt’s favor, Abdelkarim also appeared for 14 minutes. He entered the match while the score was 2-1, showing active pressing and nearly testing the opponent’s goal after a good cross from Mohamed Salah, though a foul was called on him.
This World Cup experience adds valuable minutes for Abdelkarim’s development. Concurrently, Barcelona is set to exercise a €1.5 million buy option to acquire him permanently from Al-Hilal in the coming days.
