Mohamed Elneny has been called up by Egypt for the first time since his injury, as he continues to make progress towards returning to his best.

TOPSHOT - Arsenal's Egyptian midfielder #25 Mohamed Elneny heads the ball during the English League Cup third round football match between Brentford and Arsenal at the Brentford Community Stadium in London on September 27, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – Arsenal’s Egyptian midfielder #25 Mohamed Elneny heads the ball during the English League Cup third-round football match between Brentford and Arsenal at the Brentford Community Stadium in London on September 27, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt have announced their national team squad for the October international break, and Mohamed Elneny is involved for the first time since November 2022.

Elneny’s significant knee injury kept him out of action with Arsenal for most of this year, and he missed three international breaks with Egypt.

But the 31-year-old is back in action with Arsenal, making the first-team squad on five occasions and coming on against Brentford in the League Cup.

Fortunately for the Arsenal midfielder, Egypt managed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in his absence, and he’s now ready to rejoin the side.

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BRENTFORD, ENGLAND: Mohamed Elneny of Arsenal thanks the support pushed by Captain Martin Odegaard during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Brentford and Arsenal at Gtech Community Stadium on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND: Mohamed Elneny of Arsenal thanks the support pushed by Captain Martin Odegaard during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Brentford and Arsenal at Gtech Community Stadium on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Egypt will soon kick off their World Cup qualification campaign for 2026, featuring in a group containing Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, and Djibouti.

On paper, you’d think Elneny’s side would be the clear favourites, at least in terms of the FIFA rankings:

  • Egypt – 35
  • Burkina Faso – 58
  • Guinea-Bissau – 106
  • Sierra Leone – 124
  • Ethiopia – 142
  • Djibouti – 190

But those qualifiers don’t get underway until November. In the meantime, the October break holds a couple of friendlies for Egypt.

Mohamed Elneny with Mikel Arteta after signing a new contract with Arsenal (Photo via Elneny on Twitter)
Mohamed Elneny with Mikel Arteta after signing a new contract with Arsenal (Photo via Elneny on Twitter)

Egypt will face Zambia on Thursday, October 12th, and Algeria on Monday, October 16th, with both games due to take place in the UAE.

After that, it will be World Cup qualifiers in November, before the delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in January.

The draw for the tournament’s group stage also takes place on October 12th.

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