Mohamed Salah’s fitness remains a key focus for Egypt as they prepare to face Australia in the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup, scheduled for Friday at Dallas Stadium. The forward is recovering from a hamstring strain he sustained during Egypt’s 1-1 group stage draw with Iran. His availability is seen as vital by Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, ahead of the knockout match.

Egypt secured their place in the last 32 for the first time since 2018, progressing as Group G runners-up following a win over New Zealand and draws against Belgium and Iran. A video posted on social media on Wednesday showed Salah training in the gym separately from his teammates, indicating he could be ready to participate in the upcoming game. The post, captioned “The road back begins” and referring to Salah as “the King,” suggested the 34-year-old is working toward a strong return.

The prospect of facing Salah has been a major aspect of Australia’s pre-match preparations. The Socceroos entered the knockout stage for only the third time in their history and for the second consecutive World Cup, having been eliminated in the previous tournament’s Round of 16 by eventual champions Argentina. Australia’s 2026 campaign included a victory over Turkey, a 2-0 loss to the United States, and a scoreless draw against Paraguay, finishing second in Group D.

Despite Salah’s status as a Premier League and Champions League winner, Australia’s full back Jordan Bos emphasized that the team will approach the match without intimidation. “Maybe off the field there’s some respect, but on the field there’s no respect,” Bos said. “It’s eat or be eaten. That’s how everyone’s going to go into the game, and that’s how I’ll go into the game.”

Bos acknowledged Salah’s quality and the challenge he poses, noting that Australia has already begun preparations to contain him and the Egyptian team. “Mo Salah is a top player. He’s been at the top for a very long time. We’ll definitely have to look at how we can stop him and Egypt,” he said. “We’ve already done a little bit about that, and it’s just fine-tuning and seeing what the coach and the staff have in mind to help us with that.”