Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi lifted the World Cup trophy in Cairo on Thursday, during a ceremony at an armed forces seminar.

The World Cup, which is currently on an international tour, was brought to Cairo by a delegation of FIFA officials, headed by former French football team star Christian Karembu.

The cup had most recently been in Ivory Coast and is scheduled to head to Naples next; the trophy is currently on a tour of 91 cities in 51 different countries, including the 32 countries who qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia this summer.

The televised World Cup reception ceremony in Egypt was attended by national team coach Hector Cuper and team captain Essam El-Hadary, as well as a number of sports officials. 

The trophy is set to tour several sites in Cairo to provide Egyptian soccer fans a chance to view the prize.

The FIFA World Cup trophy dates from 1974, is made of solid gold and reportedly weighs 6.1 kg. 

The original trophy is not awarded to the winners of the tournament, but remains in FIFA's possession. The winners receive a replica.

According to FIFA regulations, only a sitting head of state and World Cup winners are allowed to lift the trophy on its international tour.

After a 28-year of absence, Egypt made it to the 2018 World Cup after a narrow win over Congo last October, thanks to a double from star winger Mohamed Salah that included a stoppage-time penalty.