Egypt last week qualified for next year’s World Cup and it was as straightforward as it gets.
The blanking of Djibouti 3-0 on Wednesday culminated in a near-flawless campaign which saw Egypt top their Group A — which meant automatic qualification — with a game to spare.
The formality game was played on Sunday night in Cairo Stadium when Egypt edged Guinea Bissau 1-0. Egypt finished with 26 points, five points more than second place Burkina Faso. Egypt’s overall record was eight wins, two draws and no losses.
It was a master class performance throughout the series — but was it really that challenging?
Who were we playing? Who were these bugaboos we were dreading? Burkina Faso are 64 in the world, Sierra Leone 122, Guinea Bissau 130, Ethiopia 147, and bottom of the group Djibouti 193.
Egypt are 35 (albeit hiked up a bit because of beating inferior opposition).
So not only was it easy. It was too easy. There was simply no competition.
The result was that it was mostly a waste of time watching these qualifiers. Ho-hum games and predictable outcomes. You never needed the help of a fortune teller. It was an unnecessarily long and tedious route of 10 games whose result was never in doubt. There would be only one king of the hill and five other nowhere teams.
No better proof is the near silence on the streets of Cairo after the game with Djibouti. When usually our rare entry into the World Cup is met by tooting car horns, song-blaring stereos and boisterous crowds waving the Egyptian flag and chanting their favourite slogans, the win against Djibouti was met with palpable indifference.
The outcome was expected.
But it was torturous for fans who crave real football.
In the other eight African groups, the situation was the same. One relatively strong team and five bridesmaids. The first stage of the qualifiers has almost ended and as of writing, there were no major upsets.
(Winners of each of the nine groups will automatically qualify for the World Cup 2026. The four best runners-up will play in a CAF play-off tournament. The winner of the CAF play-off will play in a FIFA intercontinental play-off tournament. The format essentially gives teams three chances to reach the World Cup).
Certainly, the Egyptian team and their fans were elated with the draw that gave Egypt an excellent chance to qualify. They all would accept that every day and twice on Sunday.
So, why are we complaining?
We shouldn’t but this has to be said: The qualifiers should have teams of a much higher calibre so that you know where you really stand.
The only way to know how good or bad you are is to play against teams better than you or around your same level. You get basically nothing out of playing teams lesser than you. And this goes especially when your opposition is really bad.
The matches we have witnessed could lull the qualifiers into a false sense of security. It will make them complacent, believing they are better than what they really are. Their domination in the qualifiers will get to their head.
However, in the World Cup itself we’re going to face much better teams that will show no mercy.
Gone are the days when groups were groups. In that era, two and sometimes three big teams were put in the same group.
Which explains why Egypt, prior to this, had gone to only three World Cups: 1934, 1990, and 2018.
There was always some behemoth standing in the way. As Egypt’s history attests, going back to the 1970s, if it weren’t Tunisia blocking Egypt’s path to the promised land, it was Morocco. If not Morocco, it was Algeria. If not those, there was Senegal, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Nigeria.
World Cup qualifiers were once tough and getting there meant you achieved something big.
Not anymore.
(One other reason for Egypt’s World Cup absences: The period between qualifying games can stretch for months on end, and a lot can happen in football during that time — injuries, drop in form, coaching changes. As a case in point, these African qualifications began in November 2023. It’s not the greatest of explanations; all the other teams had the same schedules. But it’s worth noting that Egypt have won the Africa Cup of Nations, or AFCON, seven times, more than any other country. The AFCON lasts less than one month.)
Right after the win against Djibouti that gave them an unassailable lead, Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan expressed relief that Egypt are going to the World Cup.
But from day one that was never in doubt. What “relief” is he talking about? It wasn’t that bad.
Unless, of course, Hassan does not trust himself as a coach, which would be understandable. He has never won anything as a manager, particularly with Masri, who he has coached more than once. At Masri’s helm in Egypt’s Premier League and African tournaments, he has come up empty-handed.
As a player Hassan was a live wire with bulldog determination. He led his boyhood club Ahly and later crosstown rivals Zamalek to numerous domestic and African titles. At one time he had collected the most caps in history.
It was Hassan who got the courageous header against Algeria that sent Egypt to the 1990 World Cup. Against Holland in that tournament, he was brought down by star defender Ronald Koeman which led to a penalty and a 1-1 draw with the then European champions and World Cup favourites.
Hassan has scored 69 international goals, making him the all-time highest goal scorer for Egypt.
With his brace against Djibouti, Mohamed Salah has 54.
As a coach, however, Hassan, 59, is not known for being a clever tactician and his creativity is limited. He is more of a man-to-man coach, inspiring his players using his name and reputation.
He is not a coaching guru and in fact, we saw very little guruing in the qualifiers. His games were marked by defensive discipline and counter attacks which were rather ponderous.
However, since replacing Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria in February 2024 after Egypt’s exit from the Africa Cup of Nations, Hassan revived the Pharaohs with an impressive record: 10 wins, four draws and only one defeat, a friendly to a Luka Modric-led Croatia 4-2.
Hassan and company had another relaxing time entering the Africa of Nations which starts in January. It was another qualifying group that contained no big names as opponents and several minnows.
No coach in any sport will ever say, at least in public, that his opposition is weak or the group he is in is sub-standard. Coaches all have the same prepared lines: “We respect every team,” “Africa has changed,” and “there are no longer any weak countries in Africa.”
But there are and the stats and performances prove it.
We suppose that if Hassan were given a shot of truth serum, he would admit that Group A was weak.
Without the injection, he consistently wanted anybody within ear shot to believe that Group A was strong and should not be taken for granted.
Is Hassan delusional or does he really believe what he’s saying?
From the moment Egypt’s group was announced in the draw, Egypt’s chances of ending in first place appeared excellent. And so it was.
Congratulations to Egypt for making it to the 2026 World Cup that will be hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. The result ensures the Pharaohs return to the global stage after missing out on the 2022 edition in Qatar.
But remember: Playing weaker teams does not get the best out of stronger teams. When they meet, the better teams play with too much self-confidence because they are hardly tested.
We’ll know who Egypt will play following the draw on 5 December at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.
At least Egypt will be boosted by Salah, one of the world’s best players. Along with left winger Mahmoud Trezeguet and goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Shennawi, all featured at Russia 2018. Experience counts.
But the World Cup finals won’t be easy. Despite three previous appearances, the Pharaohs have never won a World Cup match nor advanced beyond the group stage.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 16 October, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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