Why is Mo Salah not playing at World Cup 2022?

THE World Cup is here, but some notable stars are missing from the glitzy tournament.

One player missing out on the action is Liverpool‘s star-man Mohamed Salah.

Reuters

Mo Salah was on the losing side in the Africa Cup of Nations final in 2021[/caption]

Salah has managed six Premier League goals so far this season and Liverpool currently sit outside the top four.

The 30-year-old has an impressive record for his national side with 47 goals and 25 assists in just 84 games, but won’t be able to add to his tally at the World Cup.

Why is Mo Salah not playing at the World Cup?

Salah won’t be at the World Cup because Egypt did not qualify for the tournament.

The African side fell at the last hurdle of qualification after losing on penalties to Senegal.

It was a penalty from Salah’s former Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane that ultimately knocked Egypt out of the running.

Salah missed his penalty during the shootout, but was faced with lasers being shone into his eyes whilst he was trying to take it.

The controversial ending to Egypt’s World Cup hopes mean that the Egypt captain will have to watch all the action from home this year.

It wasn’t the first heartbreak Mane had caused his old strike partner with the Senegalese forward scoring the winning penalty in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Egypt less than two months prior.

Has Mo Salah played at a World Cup before?

Salah was part of Egypt’s squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

He played in two of his nation’s games at the tournament and managed to score in both despite Egypt losing on both occasions.

The forward wasn’t fit to play in The Pharaohs first game of the tournament after getting injured in the Champions League final following a tangle with Sergio Ramos.

Egypt bowed out of the 2018 World Cup in the group stages after losing all three of their games.