 Abdelwahab became a pivotal member of Hassan Shehata's national squad and helped Egypt win the 2006 African Cup of Nations on home soil by scoring the second penalty in the penalty shootout against Ivory Coast.His steady performances helped Al Ahly secure their second consecutive local title, the Egyptian Cup and CAF Super Cup in the same season.Ahly then moved to land Abdelwahab on a permanent basis from Al-Zafra, who turned down the offer.