Egypt faces Malawi on Friday night at Cairo International Stadium in Matchday 3 of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with Ali Maher set to oversee his first match as Egypt’s head coach. The game starts at 9:00 PM and will be shown exclusively on beIN Sports 2 HD.
It is a first test for Maher, who recently replaced Hossam Hassan, and a fixture that now carries more weight because Egypt are into their second home appearance in the campaign. They already played Angola at Cairo International Stadium, so this is another night in Cairo where points matter and where the margin for error in qualifying is already narrow.
Egypt’s squad list points to a side with experience in every line. Ahmed Fatouh, Rami Rabia, Hossam Abdelmaguid and Mohamed Hany are among the defenders, while Mohanad Lasheen, Nasser Maher and Marwan Attia are listed in midfield. Up front, Omar Marmoush, Mohamed Salah and Mahmoud Hassan “Trezeguet” give Egypt a forward group built to decide a match that has been framed as crucial.
That word matters, because a qualifier can only be called crucial when the result changes the shape of the road ahead. Egypt are in the middle of the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign, and this is their second home match in it, which means the points available on Friday are not abstract. They are part of the table equation, even if the exact standing is not spelled out here.
The unanswered part is simple: Egypt need a result that strengthens their position, and the Malawi match is the first chance to do that under Maher. For the new coach, Friday is not a rehearsal. It is the start of his own qualifying campaign with Egypt, and Cairo International Stadium will judge it in real time.
