Egypt received a timely boost ahead of their historic FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash against Australia, with captain Mohamed Salah returning to training on Tuesday as he continues his recovery from a hamstring
strain.
The Liverpool forward took part in portions of the Pharaohs’ training session in Spokane, where the squad has been preparing for Friday’s knockout encounter.
Mohamed Salah is BACK in training 3 days out from Egypt’s clash with the Socceroos 👀🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/UyH9qrfIee
— Football360.com.au (@football360au) July 1, 2026
Photos shared by the Egyptian Football Association on Facebook showed a smiling Salah back on the training pitch alongside his teammates, accompanied by the caption: “The King is back.”
Salah suffered the injury during Egypt’s final Group Stage match, a 1-1 draw against Iran, and was substituted in the 57th minute for Mostafa Zico. His early exit sparked fears that Egypt could be without their talisman for the biggest match in the nation’s football history.
However, Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan struck an optimistic tone after the game.
“I spoke to Salah and he told me he is going to be OK and that it is not a major injury,” Hassan said. “We still need to hear from the medical staff after the examinations, but I think he will be back.”
While Salah has not yet returned to full training, his involvement in Tuesday’s session is a significant step forward and raises hopes that he could feature against Australia.
His availability would be a massive lift for an Egyptian side enjoying its finest-ever World Cup campaign. Under FIFA’s expanded tournament format, the Pharaohs reached the knockout stages for the first time after finishing second in their group with five points, only behind Belgium on goal difference.
Salah has been central to that remarkable run. The 34-year-old scored his 68th international goal in Egypt’s landmark 3-1 victory over New Zealand — the country’s first-ever World Cup win — and has also registered two assists during the tournament.
His leadership and experience could prove invaluable as Egypt attempt to reach the Round of 16 for the first time by overcoming Australia.
Although the medical staff will continue to monitor his recovery over the coming days, Tuesday’s training session offered the clearest indication yet that Egypt’s biggest star is on course to play.
(with Reuters inputs)
