The Egyptian national team star will miss the World Cup due to a cruciate ligament injury

The Egyptian Football Association announced on Thursday that international winger Islam Issa suffered a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will miss the Pharaohs’ squad for the 2026 World Cup finals.

Issa was injured in the second half of Egypt’s international friendly preparatory match against Spain on Tuesday in Barcelona (0-0).

The Egyptian Federation said in a statement, “The x-rays he performed confirmed that he had a rupture in the anterior cruciate ligament in the left knee, and that happened immediately after the player went to undergo the necessary tests upon the arrival of the Egyptian national team delegation to Cairo on Thursday morning.”

The team manager, Ibrahim Hassan, sent a message to the player to support him from all sides so that he can return stronger.

Hassan said: “We feel sad about Issa’s injury, as he is an important member of the national team. Everyone supports him in this ordeal, and he will return stronger in the future, God willing.”

Hassan refused to talk about the player’s replacements on the national team’s roster, indicating that what is important now is to complete the surgical procedures that he will undergo.

The Egyptian team doctor, Mohamed Abu El-Ela, indicated that the period of Issa’s absence will range from 6 to 9 months, which means that he will definitely be absent from participating in the World Cup, which begins next June.

Issa is 30 years old and previously played for Al-Nasr, Al-Masry and Pyramids clubs before moving to Ceramica Cleopatra in 2024.

The Pharaohs’ coach, Hossam Hassan, is one of his most prominent supporters, as he trained him in Al-Masry and was the reason for his transfer to Pyramids when he took over as coach of the team. He also gave him the opportunity to play internationally, as he played five international matches in which he scored one goal, which was against Saudi Arabia in the match that was held in Jeddah last Friday and ended with Egypt’s 4-0 victory.