As the 2026 FIFA World Cup enters its knockout stage, Egyptian football icon and national team captain Mohamed Salah faces an uncertain race to be fit for his side’s last-32 fixture against Australia this Friday, after sustaining a hamstring strain during the team’s final group stage match.
The 34-year-old Liverpool star was pulled from the pitch early in Egypt’s 1-1 draw with Iran, the result that secured the Pharaohs’ spot in the knockout round as Group G’s second-place qualifier. Following the substitution, team doctor Mohamed Abou confirmed that Salah had reported discomfort to medical staff before scans officially diagnosed a hamstring strain, according to an official statement released by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA).
The EFA added that Salah has already started an individualized treatment and rehabilitation program to manage the injury, but the governing body has not released any official update on whether the star forward will be available for the Dallas, Texas kickoff scheduled for 19:00 BST on 3 July.
In comments made immediately after the Iran match, Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan downplayed the severity of the injury, saying: “I spoke with Salah and, God willing, the injury doesn’t seem serious. He assured me it would be fine, that it’s not a serious injury.”
This is not the first hamstring setback Salah has dealt with this calendar year: a prior hamstring issue kept the winger sidelined for three weeks starting in late April, though he recovered in time to feature in Liverpool’s final two matches of the 2025-2026 English club season.
So far in the 2026 World Cup, Salah has been a key playmaker for Egypt, notching one goal and two assists to help the North African nation advance out of the group stage. He has also built an extraordinary legacy with his national side, scoring 68 goals in 119 appearances for Egypt dating back to his senior team debut.
All eyes in global football will now turn to Salah’s rehabilitation progress over the coming days as Egypt waits to confirm whether their biggest star will take the pitch against Australia.