Hamza Abd Al Karim has become the youngest player ever to represent Egypt at the FIFA World Cup, after coming on as a substitute in Monday's match against Belgium in the first round of Group 7 at the tournament being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Hamza Abd Al Karim (18 years old) came on in the 76th minute in place of Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian national team captain, becoming the youngest Egyptian and Arab player ever to appear for his country at a World Cup.
The previous Egyptian record had been held by goalkeeper Mustafa Kamel Mansour, who started Egypt's only match at the 1934 World Cup against Hungary, a game the team lost 2-4.
Abd Al Karim, a forward with FC Barcelona's B team, succeeded in becoming the youngest Arab player to appear in a World Cup match, entering the Belgium game at the age of 18 years and five months. The previous record had been held by Bilal El Khannouss of the Moroccan national team, who played at the 2022 Qatar World Cup at the age of 18 years and seven months.