Hamza Abdelkarim

Barcelona On 1 February 2026, Abdelkarim joined Segunda Federación side Barcelona Atlètic on loan until the end of the 2025–26 season, with an option to buy. He made his debut for Barcelona Juvenil on 8 March, scoring a goal in a 2–2 draw with the youth team of SD Huesca. Later that year, amid interest from Sporting CP and Bologna, on 10 June, Barcelona made Abdelkarim's transfer from Al Ahly permanent after exercising their purchase option in a deal worth an initial €1.5 million, plus performance-related bonuses.

On 24 July 2026, Abdelkarim made his first-team debut for Barcelona in a pre-season friendly against CE Europa, which Barcelona won 4–1. He then went on to start in the next friendly against Birmingham City a week later, scoring both goals in a 2–2 draw before Barcelona lost 3–2 in the penalty shootout. Abdelkarim played in Barcelona's pre-season matchups against Nottingham Forest, Udinese, Basel, and Al Ahly, scoring four goals in total throughout the summer and earning strong praise from manager Hansi Flick.

Following his pre-season performance, Flick promoted Abdelkarim to Barcelona's first-team squad for the 2026–27 La Liga season, assigning him the number 29 jersey. He was named as a substitute on the bench for Barcelona's match against Elche on 23 August 2026. On 31 August, he made his senior debut as a substitute in a 5–2 victory over Rayo Vallecano.

International career Abdelkarim represented Egypt at the 2024 UNAF U17 Tournaments held in Algeria and Morocco, scoring three goals in both tournaments to help his nation win both titles. He was called up again for the 2025 U17 Africa Cup of Nations, but was unable to help Egypt progress beyond the group stage, despite scoring twice. His Man of the Match performance against Angola, including scoring once in Egypt's 2–1 victory, earned his nation a place at the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup. On 20 May 2026, Abdelkarim was named in Egypt's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He made his Egypt national team debut on 28 May, as an 86th-minute substitute in a 1–0 friendly win against Russia. On 15 June, he made his World Cup debut as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Belgium, becoming the youngest Egyptian player to feature at a World Cup, aged 18 years and 165 days.

Personal life Abdelkarim attended the International School of Kuala Lumpur and the American International School in Egypt. He is fluent in Egyptian Arabic and English, and was learning Spanish as of 2026.

Honours Al Ahly Egyptian Premier League: 2024–25