The 2026 FIFA World Cup Tour was officially launched in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, marking the first stop of a global journey. Cairo was the second stop of the tour ahead of this year’s tournament, set to take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada in June.
The FIFA delegation included former Italy international Fabio Cannavaro, winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2006; Javier Ignacio Sipi Perdevski, a director at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich; Sebastian Ferrio, director of the World Cup Trophy Tour; Alexandros Kavassilas, vice president of the sponsoring company Coca-Cola for operations in Nigeria and North Africa; and Hanna Haddad, general manager of the sponsoring company in Egypt and Sudan.
Attending the meeting from the Egyptian side included Egypt’s Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi and President of the Egyptian Football Association Hani Abo Rida. The visit was part of the global journey that carries the original World Cup trophy through 30 countries and 75 stops worldwide.
The tour marks the 20th anniversary of the Trophy Tour, jointly organised by FIFA and Coca-Cola as a key international platform to promote the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026.
According to Presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmi, Egypt’s selection as the second stop on the tour reflected its standing on the global sports map, adding that the event offers an opportunity to boost sports tourism, promote sports culture among youth, and support the state’s vision to expand sports participation and strengthen public engagement with major international sporting events.
Fahmi added that Egypt’s selection as the second stop on the tour highlights its standing as a key regional hub for international sporting events and its long-established role in African and Arab football, revealing the FIFA delegation praising Egypt’s advanced sports infrastructure and its superb experience in hosting regional and international sports tournaments.
In Cairo, President Al-Sisi expressed hope that the next World Cup edition would achieve huge success, particularly as it will be the largest in the tournament’s history since the beginning of the World Cup regarding the increase of the number of participating national teams from 32 to 48. The president also expressed his wishes for positive results to be achieved by the Egyptian national football team which qualified for the World Cup and reiterated his aspiration for Egypt to play host to the FIFA World Cup in the future.
Egypt qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 1934, 1990, 2018 and 2026. With two draws and five losses, Egypt have never won a match in the World Cup finals. In 1934 Egypt became the first Arab and African team to play in the World Cup.
When they qualified again in 1990, they became the team with the longest-ever gap between two FIFA World Cup matches: 56 years and 16 days had passed. This was surpassed in 2022 by the qualification of Wales for the first time in 64 years.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour is a global promotional initiative designed to build worldwide engagement ahead of each World Cup tournament. The launch coincides with the 20th anniversary of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, first introduced in 2006, which has since become one of FIFA’s flagship global outreach platforms.
Under the current edition, the tour is scheduled to carry the original World Cup trophy to selected destinations across several regions.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will make history being the first edition to be co-hosted by three countries.
The tour serves broader objectives, including promoting sports tourism, supporting grassroots football initiatives, and facilitating sports diplomacy through high-level engagements with governments, national football associations and regional stakeholders.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 8 January, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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