Is Mohamed Salah retiring? What Egypt star has said about return for 2030 World Cup

Is Mohamed Salah retiring? What Egypt star has said about return for 2030 World Cup originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Mohamed Salah has waited his entire international career for a night like this.

Egypt's captain leads his country into a World Cup Round of 16 clash with Lionel Messi's Argentina on Tuesday in Atlanta, the biggest match in the Pharaohs' history, and the furthest Egypt have ever progressed at a men's World Cup.

Getting there already required one signature moment from Salah, a coolly taken chipped penalty in the shootout win over Australia that sent Egypt through to this stage. It ended a 92-year wait for the nation's first World Cup knockout success.

At 34, with two more wins standing between Egypt and a first-ever semifinal, Salah's form has inevitably raised the question of how much longer he can keep this up and whether he'll still be around by the time the World Cup returns in 2030.

Here's what we know about Salah's retirement plans.

Is Mohamed Salah retiring?

Not any time soon, and certainly not from international soccer. If anything, Salah's international future looks more secure now than it has in years.

Egypt's federation used the week before the Argentina game to confirm that Salah and head coach Hossam Hassan are both committed to the national team well beyond this tournament, as part of a roadmap that runs all the way to the 2030 World Cup.

"The information I have is very reliable," EFA board member Mostafa Abou Zahra said in a televised interview, putting to rest any lingering rumours about Salah's future. Abou Zahra added that the ex-Liverpool forward had "explicitly expressed his desire to continue representing his country" past this summer.

MORE:What we know about Mohamed Salah's club plans after Liverpool

What has Mohamed Salah said about retirement?

Salah has been more specific about his own timeline than most players his age, setting an approximate retirement age rather than dodging the question entirely.

"If you ask me for my opinion, I think I can play until the age of 39 or 40, but if I felt before that I wanted to stop, I would quit," Salah said during Liverpool's trophy celebrations, speaking to ON Sport. "I will stop playing when I have that feeling."

That estimate would carry him well past the 2030 World Cup. Salah has repeatedly framed the decision as one that will come down to his body and his enjoyment of the game, rather than a date circled on a calendar.

Will Mohamed Salah play at the 2030 World Cup?

Based on everything Egypt's federation said this week, the plan is yes.

Abou Zahra's comments made clear that Egypt's blueprint for 2030 "explicitly relies on Salah continuing as the team's talisman and captain," with Hassan's coaching staff also committed to the same four-year cycle. It's a notable level of public commitment from a federation historically known for reactive, short-term decision-making rather than long-range planning.

Nothing is guaranteed four years out. Egypt still have to qualify, and Salah's fitness and form between now and then will ultimately decide whether he's still first-choice. But both the player and his federation are, for now, planning around him being there.

How old will Mohamed Salah be at the 2030 World Cup?

Salah, born in 1992, will be 38 by the time the 2030 World Cup kicks off.

That tournament will be shared across three continents: Morocco, Portugal and Spain stage the bulk of the matches, while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay host a handful of centenary fixtures to mark 100 years since the first World Cup in 1930.