Egypt Sack Coach Hossam Hassan Days Before AFCON Qualifiers, Name Ali Maher

By Imran Javed | Sports | November 9, 2026 | Updated: November 9, 2026

Egypt have sacked national team coach Hossam Hassan and named Ali Maher as his replacement, just days before the Pharaohs play Malawi in back-to-back qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced the decision on Saturday, November 7, 2026, saying recent events had damaged the team’s image — and Maher, 52, now has almost no time to prepare, with the first qualifier in Cairo on Friday, November 13.

The timing is brutal for a new coach. Hassan leaves after leading Egypt to the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup, the country’s best-ever performance at the tournament, and to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. His sacking has nothing to do with results on the pitch. The EFA’s statement spoke only of the team’s “positive image” and its stability — and Egyptian media have reported that the decision was driven by events in Hassan’s personal life rather than by football.

Key Facts: Hossam Hassan Sacked

The EFA’s decision

The EFA board met on Saturday to review what it called “the circumstances and events of the past period” before announcing the split. Its statement was short and gave no detail about which events it meant. “Following a meeting of the EFA Board, and after reviewing all the circumstances and events that have unfolded recently, along with their negative impact on the national team’s positive image and stability, the Board has decided to part ways with Hossam Hassan and his technical and administrative staff,” it read.

The federation added that “maintaining the team’s stability is a paramount priority” that cannot be compromised, and thanked Hassan for his contributions while wishing him well. The wording matters: this was not a sacking dressed up as a resignation, and it was not blamed on results. Egypt are top of their AFCON qualifying group and fresh from their best World Cup ever. The EFA chose to end the tenure of a coach who had just renewed his contract until 2030 — a measure of how seriously it viewed whatever had happened off the pitch.

The replacement was named in the same announcement, with no caretaker period and no search. The EFA wanted the change made and the next man in place before the Malawi double-header, not after it.

Who is Ali Maher?

Ali Maher is no stranger to Egyptian football. The 52-year-old is a long-time head coach in the Egyptian Premier League and was, until this weekend, in charge of Ceramica Cleopatra, who sit fourth in the league. He takes over a national team in mid-campaign, with six days between his appointment and his first match — about as short a runway as a new international coach ever gets.

Maher has wasted no time. His first Egypt squad, named within a day of his appointment, brings back goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy and includes captain Mohamed Salah and forward Omar Marmoush. He inherits a settled group of players and a qualifying campaign that is going well, which is the best possible starting point for a coach thrown in at the deep end.

Hassan’s record with Egypt

Hossam Hassan was not just any appointment when he took charge in February 2024. As a player he is Egypt’s all-time leading goalscorer, a striker who defined the national team for a generation, and he became the first former Egypt player to coach the national side at a World Cup. That history made his sacking sting more: this was one of Egyptian football’s own, dismissed by the federation he once served on the pitch.

On results alone, his record stands up. In 38 matches in charge he won 21, drew 10 and lost seven. At the 2026 World Cup he took Egypt to the round of 16, where they were knocked out by Argentina — still the furthest Egypt have ever gone at the tournament. At the Africa Cup of Nations he reached the semi-finals before Egypt finished fourth. Those are not the numbers of a coach who lost the dressing room or lost his way tactically.

There was, however, a flashpoint at the World Cup. After the defeat by Argentina, Hassan criticised the referee, and FIFA handed him a three-match ban. The ban would have covered the Malawi qualifiers — a complication the EFA no longer has to manage, since Hassan is gone.

Why now — what has actually been said

The honest answer is that the EFA has not said, beyond its statement about the team’s image and stability. What is on the record is a sequence of events. Days before the sacking, Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation banned Hassan from appearing in all media outlets — described as an unprecedented decision against a sitting national coach. The ban followed disputes in Hassan’s personal life becoming public.

Egyptian media have reported that the decision had more to do with Hassan’s personal life than with rumoured disagreements with players, including star forward Mohamed Salah. That reporting is attributed, not confirmed by the EFA, and the federation has not elaborated. No charges or findings have been announced by any authority, and the details of Hassan’s private life are not part of the football story. What matters for Egypt’s campaign is the football consequence: the coach who built this team is gone a week before two qualifiers.

It is worth being clear about what this sacking is not. It is not a reaction to a bad run of results — Egypt are top of their group. It is not a player revolt, on any evidence the EFA or the media have put forward. And it is not a planned transition: Hassan had renewed his contract until 2030 after the World Cup, which means the federation paid a price, in money and in upheaval, to make this change now.

What it means for the Malawi qualifiers

The football does not wait. Egypt host Malawi in Cairo on Friday, November 13, then travel to Lilongwe for the return fixture on Tuesday, November 17. Both are rounds three and four of the AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign, and Egypt lead Group B with four points from their first two games — a win against South Sudan and a draw with Angola. Malawi, meanwhile, have named a 24-man squad under coach Kalisto Pasuwa, with TP Mazembe forward Lanjesi Nkhoma returning after missing the coach’s previous three selections.

Malawi will arrive in Cairo sensing an opportunity. A team changing its coach six days before a qualifier is a team that can be caught cold, however talented its players are. Pasuwa’s squad blends 15 foreign-based players with nine from local clubs, and the Flames know that even a draw in Cairo would be a major result. They are without US-based forward Mayele Malango, whose club is in the USL Championship play-offs, but Nkhoma’s return gives them a genuine attacking threat.

Elsewhere in sport this week

Football is not the only sport producing sharp turns this weekend. In tennis, Carlos Alcaraz reached the Paris Masters final against Ben Shelton, while in the Premier League Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield. And in cricket, Pakistan sealed a T20I series with an 82-run win over Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi.

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