Today's Talking Points
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1Egypt are making their return to the World Cup after missing the last tournament — they qualified thanks largely to Mohamed Salah's goals, and his presence is the entire basis of their campaign.
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2Mohamed Salah is 34 and at what is realistically his last World Cup — he's arguably the best player never to have won the tournament, and a deep run with Egypt would be one of the great individual football stories.
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3Egypt are in Group G with Belgium, Iran and New Zealand — a difficult group where they're unlikely to progress, but Salah can single-handedly change games and any match he plays is worth watching.
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4Beyond Salah, Egypt's squad lacks the depth to compete with Europe's top sides — they rely heavily on him creating and scoring, and if he has an off day the team has limited alternatives.
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5Egypt have won the Africa Cup of Nations a record seven times, which is often overlooked in the global conversation — domestically and continentally they're a football powerhouse, even if World Cups haven't always gone to plan.
🍺 Top Thing To Say Down The Pub
Salah at 34 is probably at his last World Cup. He's never won it. If there's one player to follow at this tournament for the narrative alone, it's him.
🚫 Avoid Saying
"Egypt are just Salah" — roughly accurate, but he's so good that it's enough to make them dangerous in any individual game. Don't dismiss the threat just because it comes from one source.