Barcelona’s youth team striker Hamza Abdel-Karim has become the youngest player to represent Egypt in the World Cup finals, the Yalla Kora website reported on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old participated in Egypt’s match against Belgium, which ended in a 1-1 draw, in Group G of the 2026 World Cup.
Abdelkarim came on as a substitute for Mohamed Salah in the 76th minute, thus becoming the youngest Egyptian and Arab player to participate in a World Cup match for his country.
He surpassed the record previously held by Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Kamel Mansour, who started in Egypt’s match against Hungary in the 1934 World Cup at the age of 19 years and nine months.
Abdelkarim broke the record previously held by Morocco’s Bilal al-Khannous, who played for his national team in the 2022 Qatar World Cup at the age of 18 years and seven months.
The Egyptian national team held Belgium to a 1-1 draw in their match this evening at the 2026 World Cup.
The Egypt-Belgium match took place at the Lummenfield Stadium as part of the first round of group stage matches in the 2026 World Cup.
The Egyptian national team is in Group G alongside Belgium, Iran, and New Zealand.
