President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday received a delegation from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), as Egypt hosted the second stop of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour for this year's tournament set to unfold in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in June. photo courtsey.. The spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency
The 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.
The meeting was attended from the Egyptian side by Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy and President of the Egyptian Football Association Hany Abo Rida.
The visit is part of the World Cup Trophy Tour, a 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.
Presidential Spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said President El-Sisi welcomed the FIFA delegation, noting that Egypt’s selection as the second stop on the tour reflects its standing on the global sports map. He added 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.
The spokesman added that the FIFA delegation expressed appreciation for meeting the President, commending Egypt’s advanced sports infrastructure and its extensive organisational experience in hosting regional and international tournaments.
President El-Sisi, for his part, expressed hope that the next World Cup edition would achieve broad success, particularly as it will be the largest in the tournament’s history in terms of the number of participating national teams.
He also voiced his wishes for positive results by the Egyptian national football team and reiterated his aspiration for Egypt to host the FIFA World Cup in the future.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour is a global promotional initiative designed to build worldwide engagement ahead of each World Cup tournament.
The tour for the FIFA World Cup 2026 was officially launched in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, marking the first stop of the global journey.
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 pass through 30 countries and 75 stops worldwide, carrying the original World Cup trophy to selected destinations across different regions.
FIFA has positioned the expanded tour as a reflection of the unprecedented scale of the 2026 tournament, which will be the first to be co-hosted by three countries and the first to feature 48 national teams, up from 32 in previous editions.
Beyond fan-facing events, the Trophy 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.
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.
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