DUBAI: Eight years on from Egypt’s last appearance at the World Cup in Russia, the Pharaohs are back competing at the quadrennial extravaganza far removed from the negativity that surrounded that campaign.
Back then, the North Africans arrived at the World Cup with Mohamed Salah nursing a shoulder injury he sustained in the Champions League final, just 20 days prior to Egypt’s first game in Russia.
The injury cast a dark cloud on the Egyptians, who were present at a World Cup for the first time in 28 years and were hoping to rely on their star winger to lead them against the hosts, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia in their group.
Salah missed Egypt’s opening game and was not 100 percent when he played in the other two.
Logistical problems — the Pharaohs traveled over 8,500 km to play all three games, the most of any team — drama surrounding Salah’s image rights, lack of security at the players’ hotel, and a controversial meet and greet with Chechnyan leadership, all marred Egypt’s long-awaited return to the World Cup and they left Russia with three losses from three games.
After failing to qualify for Qatar 2022, Egypt went undefeated under head coach Hossam Hassan to punch their ticket to this year’s World Cup. And they kick off their journey in Seattle on Monday against Belgium feeling prepared, positive and confident, despite the difficult task at hand against a team that finished third in Russia 2018.
The feeling of optimism extends beyond the players and staff; it is felt on the Egyptian streets and in every household.
Even the TV commercials in Egypt are sending a message of hopefulness, be it the Orange advertisements with the tagline “To all the doubters, this time we’re in it for the long haul.” Or Salah’s Pepsi advertisement set to a Amr Diab song that says, “Yes you can.”
A massive fan zone that can host up to 8,000 people has been set up in Egypt’s New Capital, and will be a hub for all football diehards throughout this World Cup campaign.
A bolstered squad
Unlike eight years ago, Salah is not expected to carry the team on his shoulders alone.
The former Liverpool star has Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush by his side to share the burden, while Mahmoud Trezeguet, Ahmed “Zizo” Mostafa Mohamed Sayed, Mostafa “Zico” Mohamed Zaky Abdelraouf, Emam Ashour, goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir and many others have shown they are capable of making an impact.
Barcelona’s new recruit Hamza Abdelkarim was a surprise call-up and despite his lack of experience at just 18 years of age, can provide Hassan with some offensive firepower in a squad that lacks pure striker options.
“Of course it’s a tough game, Belgium is a strong team and have some of the best players in the world but we are a strong team as well,” Trezeguet told reporters on Sunday.
“You’ll see tomorrow how strong and united we are. We’ve been in a camp together since May 21 and we are all ready. We’ve been waiting for this World Cup and hopefully we’ll be able to get a good result tomorrow.
“We put in so much effort to be here, it’s been such a long journey, and hopefully we’ll be able to make our country proud.”
Hassan’s motivational leadership
A prolific striker during his playing days, Hassan represented Egypt in the 1990 World Cup and is a three-time Africa Cup of Nations champion.
He took over the reins as head coach of the Egyptian national team in February 2024 and has a record of 18 victories, seven draws, and five losses in the 30 games he has been at the helm since.
Together with his twin brother Ibrahim, who is the national team’s director, Hassan is known to be a motivational figure and has instilled his winning mentality and confidence in the players entering this World Cup.
“Egypt should take its rightful place in the world of football,” Hassan said on FIFA’s YouTube channel.
“Back in 1990, I think we did something good, although we didn’t follow it through (exited the group stage with two draws and one defeat), we played well and came very close to going through, but it wasn’t meant to be. So, I hope, God willing, that I can see this through.”
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Tough opening test
Sharing Group G with Belgium, New Zealand and Iran in this expanded 48-team World Cup, the Pharaohs will accept nothing less than advancing to the knockout stages. It is a cause that will be greatly helped by a positive result against the Red Devils at Lumen Field in Seattle.
“It’s a difficult game, especially that it’s our first game, so you need to focus and give everything you have because this is a game that can make a huge difference and can help us take control of the group,” defender Ramy Rabia said on Sunday.
“It’s a game against the strongest team in the group, so we’ll give our all so we can put ourselves in a comfortable position moving forward.”
Asked if Qatar’s draw with Switzerland and Morocco’s draw with Brazil has put pressure on Egypt to get a good result against Belgium, Rabia said: “There is no pressure on us at all. We know what our goals are and we know what we want from the start. We will play our own game and we know very well what we’re capable of.”
Searching for a first-ever victory in four World Cup appearances, the Egyptians must find ways to neutralize the threat of Man City’s Jeremy Doku.
And Napoli’s Kevin de Bruyne, who said on Sunday that he is excited to square off once again against Salah, who was a familiar foe for the former Man City midfielder during their days in the Premier League.
“I played against Mo for 10 years. Our kids also went to the same school. So, I saw him from time to time. And he’s a really nice guy. So, it will be nice to see him. It will be nice to compete again like old times,” said De Bruyne.
A promising build-up
Egypt can draw confidence from their performances in the run-up to the World Cup, which included victories over Russia and Saudi Arabia, a draw against Spain and last week’s 2-1 defeat to Brazil.
“I think the World Cup is a football moment where you can dream to go as far as possible,” Marmoush told GQ Middle East in an interview.
“We’ve seen recently with Morocco reaching the semifinal in 2022 that anything is possible. After the group stage you just take it one game at a time. You have to be realistic, of course.
“We’re playing against the best national teams in the world, so it’s not easy. But we always dream big. It’s great that we have so many MENA teams at the tournament this year (eight), but it’s not just about numbers. We want to go there and perform.
“Here we are, playing on the biggest stage in world football. Let’s show them what we’ve got.”
