The Egyptian Football Association has ended Hossam Hassan’s contract and appointed Ali Maher to lead the national team. FIFA reported the decision on 7 November, placing the coaching change immediately before Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying double-header against Malawi.
FIFA’s account of the official statement says the association considered recent developments and their implications for the team’s stability and public image, while thanking the outgoing technical and administrative staff. That wording does not establish a detailed personal dispute or an unannounced explanation; the reasons reported here remain attributed to the federation’s statement.
Maher takes charge ahead of fixtures on 13 and 17 November in the third and fourth qualifying rounds. The short interval connects the handover directly to squad preparation and competitive matches, rather than leaving a lengthy period before the new coach’s first official test.
FIFA lists Maher’s age as 52 and outlines his domestic coaching background, most recently with Ceramica Cleopatra. He guided the club to the 2024–25 League Cup and fourth place in last season’s league. Those achievements explain the setting in which he built his recent record before moving into the national-team position.
Hassan departs after leading Egypt to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. Qatar News Agency’s coverage records the 3–2 defeat by Argentina at that stage and notes that his contract had previously been extended to 2030. That background gives context to the scale of the change, while the confirmed immediate consequence is a new coaching staff for November’s qualifiers.
Archival cover photograph: Egypt’s team in 2012; an archival photograph that does not show the current squad; not from the current event. Photographer/creator: Saiflee100. Image source and metadata; CC BY-SA 4.0. Image date as recorded by the source: 2012-10-12 06:00:51. Wikimedia-supplied file used without raster edits.
