Egypt have an abysmal record in the FIFA World Cup. In their three previous appearances, they have never advanced from the group stage and, worse, they have never won a game.
But that could change in 2026 when Egypt are set to appear in their fourth World Cup hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
The draw in the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Friday placed Egypt in Group G along with Belgium, Iran and New Zealand.
On paper, Egypt are ranked 34 in the world rankings, behind Belgium (8) and Iran (20). New Zealand are 86.
But surprisingly, Egypt have a winning record against Belgium.
Against Belgium in four previous friendlies, Egypt won three times and lost once. The most recent win was 2-1 in a friendly ahead of the 2022 World Cup campaign. Mustafa Mohamed and Mahmoud Trezeguet, both of whom will probably play in 2026, struck to earn Egypt the victory against Kevin De Bruyne’s side in Kuwait. For the Belgians, this will be their fourth appearance in the global tournament and seventh major tournament in a row, a record. There will also be a reunion of sorts; their coach Rudi Garcia once coached the Pharaohs skipper Mohamed Salah at AS Roma.
Egypt have faced Iran twice, losing once and drawing once. They have not met much because diplomatic ties were severed in 1979 after Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel, and they remained strained until recent years. Iran are an established force in football, second only to Japan among Asian national teams. They are preparing to play at their seventh World Cup. Their best known players are their captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh and forward Mehdi Taremi, who has played for Inter Milan, Porto and now Olympiakos.
Egypt have played New Zealand three times, winning two of those encounters 1-0 each and drawing once 1-1. For whatever it’s worth, New Zealand’s best football club Auckland have been beaten twice in the Club World Cup by Egypt’s best team Ahly.
New Zealand were the final country to be drawn, by NHL legend Wayne Gretsky. Baseball great Aaron Judge fished out Egypt’s name from the pot.
Egypt will open their 2026 World Cup campaign against Belgium on 15 June at Seattle City Stadium in the United States.
Their second group match will be against New Zealand on Monday 21 June at Vancouver Stadium in Canada.
The Pharaohs will then meet Iran in their final group match on Friday 26 June, again at Seattle City Stadium.
One Egyptian who is apparently over the moon with the draw is their coach Hossam Hassan who played in the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Hassan has confirmed his team’s ambition to make a deep run in the 2026 World Cup.
“We have big ambitions to go far in the 2026 World Cup and achieve our goals,” Hassan said in an interview after the draw.
Hassan tempered his remarks by saying Egypt would take it “step by step” while acknowledging the strength of the others in the group. “Belgium is a big team, and so is Iran. There are no easy games at the World Cup, as we’re playing at a high level against top-ranked teams,” Hassan said.
Part of Hassan’s confidence stems from how Egypt qualified for 2026. The Pharaohs secured their place in next year’s tournament after an unbeaten run in the African qualifiers, finishing top of Group A with 26 points.
“We did a great job during the qualifiers because we have great players,” Hassan said.
Not exactly. Notwithstanding the players, Egypt steamrolled over their opponents because there was very little competition.
The Pharaohs will face a much sterner test in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which is scheduled to take place in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.
“The Africa Cup of Nations will be excellent preparation for the 2026 World Cup finals, alongside the friendly matches in the international break following that,” Hassan added.
Next year’s World Cup expanded from 32 countries to 48, making it a diluted competition and relatively easier to enter and progress. There are three chances to move to the knockout stage which begins in Round 32: either finish first or second in your group or, if you can’t do that, there’s still hope if you are among the best eight third-place finishers.
This will mark the fourth appearance for Egypt at the FIFA World Cup after previous campaigns in 1934, 1990 and 2018. Record: two draws and five losses.
However, for next year’s World Cup, Egypt got into one of the African continent’s more favourable groups. They are also in an overall balanced draw that offers the record seven-time African champions a strong opportunity to progress.
Egypt will be boosted by Salah, one of the world’s best players. Along with left winger Trezeguet and goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Shennawi, all featured at Russia 2018. Experience counts.
However, let’s not forget the 2018 World Cup debacle in Russia. Egypt were in a group with the hosts, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. A lot of Egyptians made light of the opposition and thought Egypt would advance to the knockout stage. Instead, Egypt lost all three group matches, finishing 31 out of the 32 teams.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 11 December, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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