From Alexandria to Aswan, celebrations erupted within seconds of the final whistle.
Along Alexandria’s Corniche, car horns echoed throughout the night as football fans waving Egyptian flags poured into the streets. Fireworks illuminated the sky while patriotic songs blasted from cafés, restaurants, and passing cars.
Strangers embraced one another, chanting in unison as a football victory became a nationwide celebration of identity, hope, and belonging.
“Masr, Masr... Tahya Masr!” (“Long Live Egypt!”) echoed across towns and cities across the country as tens of thousands of Egyptians celebrated a victory many had only dreamed of witnessing.
The celebrations extended far beyond the football stadiums. Egypt’s national anthem played in homes and cafés and on radio stations and television broadcasts throughout the country. Patriotic songs dominated playlists, Egyptian flags became a defining symbol, and even wedding receptions paused their festivities to broadcast the match on giant screens so guests could watch together.
For many Egyptians, football is not merely a sport—it is a powerful expression of national pride.
“Mo Salah must take the credit for making people love watching football again as he sets a wonderful example of how to be not only a great player but also a better human being,” said Ali Abdel-Radi, a psychologist and UN mental health consultant.
“He is disciplined, talented, and always working on his skills and himself. You see him with his family or working out in the gym. You see him donating money to his village, the same as he does in Liverpool. His generosity is everywhere, while at the same time he is humble and down to earth. Boys want to emulate him in their dreams, and children love his crinkly hair.”
“This time the World Cup is different as it opens the door for more African and Asian countries to compete. It is different in its inclusivity,” he said.
For a nation of more than 120 million people, football carries emotional significance that extends well beyond the game itself.
“International tournaments become moments of shared identity, where hope and pride are experienced collectively. Players do not simply represent a team; they carry the emotional investment of an entire nation. The psychological weight of that responsibility cannot be measured in statistics, yet it is absolutely part of the competitive environment,” Abdel-Radi added.
He said that from a psychological perspective such pressure depends on how individuals and teams interpret it. When channelled effectively, it can sharpen concentration, accelerate decision-making, and strengthen commitment.
Equally important is collective efficacy – the shared belief that a group can overcome challenges together. Teams with strong collective efficacy communicate more effectively, adapt more quickly to changing circumstances, and preserve their confidence when momentum shifts during a match, Abdel-Radi said.
Although invisible in traditional statistics, this psychological bond frequently shapes decisive moments in elite competitions.
Football’s emotional power also extends beyond national borders.
“That’s why we see Africans celebrating the Egyptian team as we do theirs. We see Arabs celebrating each other’s teams as if one country. Even some non-Arab countries are celebrating. Football creates this bond of closeness and happiness,” he said.
Talent may open the door, Abdel-Radi added, but emotional resilience, collective belief, and the quiet strength of the human spirit ultimately determine who walks through it.
MORE THAN SPORT: For many Egyptian families living abroad, the World Cup has become much more than a sporting event. It has become an opportunity to strengthen cultural identity and pass national traditions to the next generation.
Dina Farouk, mother of three children who recently returned from the United States for her annual holiday in Egypt, said attending Egypt’s round 32 match against Australia with her children was an unforgettable experience.
“We always stay in Egypt for two months in summer, and it is my first time to attend a World Cup football match performed by our national team with my kids here in Egypt,” Farouk said.
She said her children would never forget the atmosphere – the flags, the national team shirts, the national anthem, the patriotic songs, the face painting, and the overwhelming expressions of love for their country.
For Farouk, the match was never simply about winning or losing.
“It doesn’t matter whether the team wins or loses,” she said. Her goal is for her children to develop a lasting bond with Egypt by creating memories that connect them to their homeland.
Marwan Barrage, a communications engineer who has lived in Belgium for 13 years, shares the same philosophy. Throughout Egypt’s World Cup games, he has posted photographs of his family proudly watching the national team from abroad. During his recent visit to Egypt, he bought Egyptian national team shirts for every member of his family.
“It is very important for me to teach my kids that they are Egyptians and that they belong to this great country. Football is one of the major events through which they can bond with their country,” Barrage said.
“It was a crucial moment when we were playing against Belgium, as all Egyptians were cheering for their country. This is also another lesson through which we can teach the values of difference and tolerance. This is such a great event to teach those values,” he said.
“Symbols like the Egyptian flag, the t-shirts, and much more can create the same atmosphere as if we were in Egypt with friends and family.”
“We were lucky to be guests on a live TV show in Belgium in which we cheered, applauded, carried our Egyptian flags and were full of pride,” Barrage said.
He believes that teaching his children to embrace their Egyptian identity and Muslim faith happens through everyday experiences rather than rules or obligations. Family visits to Egypt, exploring different cities, and learning about the country’s history and culture all help shape that identity.
Egypt’s historic journey now continues with one of the tournament’s most anticipated encounters. On 7 July in Atlanta in the US, Mohamed Salah’s Egypt will face Lionel Messi’s Argentina in round 16 after Argentina defeated Cape Verde and Egypt overcame Australia in a dramatic penalty shootout.
“Whether Egypt advances beyond this stage or not, the broader lesson reaches beyond a single tournament. Success in elite sport, and in many areas of human endeavour, is rarely sustained by talent alone. It depends on the ability of individuals and teams to transform pressure into purpose, uncertainty into focus, and expectation into disciplined performance,” Abdel-Radi said.
Whatever the outcome against Argentina, Egypt’s World Cup campaign has already achieved something remarkable. It has united millions of Egyptians at home and abroad, transformed football into a celebration of national identity, and reminded an entire generation that sport has the power to connect people across cities, continents, and cultures.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 9 July, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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