Egypt enter the primary 48-team World Cup as Africa’s fourth greatest facet within the Fifa rankings. Within the fifth of a nine-part collection on African squads on the event, RFI seems at a nation making its fourth look in practically 100 years.
A crew from Egypt was signed up for the inaugural World Cup in Uruguay in 1930.
However the ship taking the gamers and coaches on the primary leg of their journey was held up by a storm within the Mediterranean, and the connecting mail ship steamed away with out them from Marseille.
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Egypt had been on board for the 1934 event in Italy, which featured 16 groups in a straight knockout competitors. Hungary beat them 4-2 in Naples within the first recreation.
Egypt made their return to the event 56 years later in Italy in 1990. And it was a case of identical nation, identical destiny.
With present head coach Hossam Hassan as their star striker, Egypt drew every of their matches in Palermo in opposition to the Netherlands and Republic of Eire earlier than dropping to England in Cagliari.
Dominance in Africa
Regardless of three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations crowns between 2006 and 2010, Egypt failed to barter the African qualifying rounds for the World Cup.
And once they did make it again to the event in 2018 in Russia, they misplaced to Uruguay, Russia and Saudi Arabia to go away proceedings after the group levels.
That disastrous marketing campaign was below Argentine supervisor Hector Cuper, who left after the event.
Since his departure, six males have coached the Pharaohs, as Egypt are identified.
Hassan, who took over in February 2024, steered his facet to the 2026 event after topping an African qualifying group that includes Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia and Djibouti.
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Salah continues to shine
In the course of the surge, captain Mohamed Salah scored 9 objectives.
Although he went into the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in poor kind for his membership Liverpool, Hassan backed his skipper to dazzle in the course of the event.
“Each time Salah’s performances dip along with his membership, he regains his power with the nationwide crew and turns into even higher, whether or not by contributing to objectives or scoring himself,” Hassan asserted. “Then he returns to his membership even stronger.”
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The 33-year-old vindicated the coach’s religion with 4 objectives to take his tally to 67 – approaching Hassan’s personal Egyptian document of 69.
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Salah, who left Liverpool on the finish of the 2025/2026 season after 9 years, 442 appearances and 257 objectives, will skipper an Egypt squad listed at twenty ninth in Fifa’s rankings of 211 nationwide groups.
The Pharaohs start their World Cup in opposition to Belgium on 15 June in Seattle and the Group G marketing campaign continues six days later in opposition to New Zealand in Vancouver. They end in Seattle in opposition to Iran on 26 June.
With the 48-team event which means a knockout spherical of 32 for the highest two from the 12 teams in addition to the eight greatest third-placed groups, there’s a greater likelihood that Egypt will not miss the boat this time round for the second part.