Egypt changed national coach six days before a qualifier. The Egyptian Football Association dismissed Hossam Hassan on Saturday 7 November, citing a negative impact on the team’s image, and appointed the Ceramica Cleopatra manager Ali Maher in his place. Maher’s first assignment is immediate: Malawi on Friday 13 November and again on Tuesday 17 November in Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying, with Egypt leading Group B.

The Unusual Part Of This Sacking

Hassan had taken Egypt to the round of sixteen at the 2026 World Cup, where they lost 3-2 to Argentina, and the federation had extended his contract to 2030 on the back of it. Being removed months after a contract extension and a tournament run is rare anywhere, and it means Maher inherits a squad that was not failing on results. Two matches against the same opponent inside five days is also an unforgiving way to begin: there is no gap in which a first result can be explained away.

Where To Watch

Egyptian national team matches and the domestic league run on the Egyptian federation’s broadcast partners and on regional sports networks, with African continental ties carried across the same channels. Coverage of the league is Arabic-language and widely available; the continental competitions less uniformly so. Where operators offer in-play streaming, and whether they work in your country, is set out in the table at the foot of this page.

December Belongs To The Two Cairo Clubs

Al Ahly, the most decorated club in African football, are in the CAF Confederation Cup rather than the Champions League this season after finishing third in the league on 53 points to Zamalek’s 56. They host Raja Casablanca between 18 and 20 December, which is the sort of fixture the competition rarely produces this early. Zamalek, the champions, begin their Champions League group campaign in Group B across the same month. Having the two Cairo clubs in different continental competitions is itself a departure from the usual pattern, and it gives December two distinct storylines instead of one shared one.

Two Names In The News This Week

Ali Maher. He arrives from Ceramica Cleopatra with a domestic reputation rather than an international one, and takes the job at the point in the cycle when a qualifying group is being decided rather than begun. Egypt top Group B going into the Malawi double-header, so his brief is to hold a position rather than recover one.

Ibrahim Hassan. The name has been among the most searched sporting terms in Egypt this week alongside his brother’s departure, as the coaching change spilled into a broader argument about how the national team is run. The surrounding coverage has focused on the federation’s stated reason for the sacking rather than on results, which is unusual enough to have become the story itself.

What To Expect

Egypt’s two months split neatly. November is the national team and nothing else: two matches against Malawi, five days apart, under a coach appointed the week before. December hands over to the clubs, with Al Ahly and Zamalek in separate continental competitions and the league running underneath. The qualifying group will not be settled by 17 November, but a new coach’s first two results will have set the tone for the rest of it.