Salah leads Egypt at African Cup of Nations

Reuters - Mohamed Salah will lead Egypt at the African Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast, skippering a 27-man squad named by coach Rui Vitoria.

The group includes all but two of the starting line-up for the last Cup of Nations final two years ago, when Egypt lost on penalties to Senegal in Yaounde.

But there is a first call-up for 22-year-old Ahmed Nabil Kouka, who in June helped Egypt’s under-23 side qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics and also played for Cairo giants Al Ahly at this month’s Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.Egypt compete in Group B at the tournament in the Ivory Coast, starting their campaign in Abidjan against Mozambique on Jan. 14. They also meet Ghana and the Cape Verde Islands in their opening round group.