Egypt enter the first 48-team World Cup as Africa’s fourth best side in the Fifa rankings. In the fifth of a nine-part series on African squads at the tournament, RFI looks at a nation making its fourth appearance in nearly 100 years.
A team from Egypt was signed up for the inaugural World Cup in Uruguay in 1930.
But the ship taking the players and coaches on the first leg of their journey was held up by a storm in the Mediterranean, and the connecting mail ship steamed away without them from Marseille.
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Egypt were on board for the 1934 tournament in Italy, which featured 16 teams in a straight knockout competition. Hungary beat them 4-2 in Naples in the first game.
Egypt made their return to the tournament 56 years later in Italy in 1990. And it was a case of same country, same fate.
With current head coach Hossam Hassan as their star striker, Egypt drew each of their matches in Palermo against the Netherlands and Republic of Ireland before losing to England in Cagliari.
Dominance in Africa
Despite three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations crowns between 2006 and 2010, Egypt failed to negotiate the African qualifying rounds for the World Cup.
And when they did make it back to the tournament in 2018 in Russia, they lost to Uruguay, Russia and Saudi Arabia to leave proceedings after the group stages.
That disastrous campaign was under Argentine manager Hector Cuper, who left after the tournament.
Since his departure, six men have coached the Pharaohs, as Egypt are known.
Hassan, who took over in February 2024, steered his side to the 2026 tournament after topping an African qualifying group featuring Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia and Djibouti.
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Salah continues to shine
During the surge, captain Mohamed Salah scored nine goals.
Though he went into the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in poor form for his club Liverpool, Hassan backed his skipper to dazzle during the tournament.
“Whenever Salah’s performances dip with his club, he regains his strength with the national team and becomes even better, whether by contributing to goals or scoring himself,” Hassan asserted. “Then he returns to his club even stronger.”
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The 33-year-old vindicated the coach’s faith with four goals to take his tally to 67 – approaching Hassan’s own Egyptian record of 69.
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Salah, who left Liverpool at the end of the 2025/2026 season after nine years, 442 appearances and 257 goals, will skipper an Egypt squad listed at 29th in Fifa’s rankings of 211 national teams.
The Pharaohs begin their World Cup against Belgium on 15 June in Seattle and the Group G campaign continues six days later against New Zealand in Vancouver. They finish in Seattle against Iran on 26 June.
With the 48-team tournament meaning a knockout round of 32 for the top two from the 12 groups as well as the eight best third-placed teams, there’s a better chance that Egypt won’t miss the boat this time around for the second phase.