Egypt to play Ethiopia, Burkina Faso in 2026 World Cup qualifiers

Ahram Online , Thursday 13 Jul 2023

​Egypt have been handed a favorable draw in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after being placed in Group A alongside Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, and Djibouti as they seek their fourth appearance in the World Cup.

Egypt
File Photo: Egypt s forward Mohamed Salah (L) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team s first goal during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2021 quarter-final football match between Egypt and Morocco at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaounde on January 30, 2022. AFP

 

Burkina Faso, the best-ranked team among Egypt's opponents, is likely to be the Pharaohs' biggest challenger for the top spot.

Another opponent, Ethiopia, is also in the same group as the Pharaohs in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and they managed to stun the Pharaohs 2-0 in June 2022.

However, the Egyptian side is yet to host the Ethiopian team in the last game of the group stage.

The Pharaohs secured their place in the continental competition, while Ethiopia was mathematically eliminated from the Nations Cup qualifiers.

Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Djibouti are unlikely to pose problems for the seven-time African champions during their World Cup qualifying campaign.

The draw took place on Thursday in Abidjan on the sidelines of the 45th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The qualifiers featured the participation of 54 countries, divided into nine groups of six, with the winner of each group qualify directly for the World Cup.

The four best runners-up from the groups will play in a CAF Play-Off tournament, and the winner of the CAF Play-Off Tournament will play in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.

The qualifiers are scheduled to begin in November 2023 and conclude in October 2025.

The Pharaohs missed the 2022 edition after losing to Senegal on penalties in the Play-offs.

Coach Rui Vitoria, who promised during his unveiling news conference that he would do his best to help the Pharaohs reach the World Cup, said, "Normally I do not like to make promises. But I want to tell you that Egypt will be present at the 2026 World Cup." Vitoria said last July.  

The Pharaohs produced a strong performance under the guidance of the Portuguese coach, having won all seven consecutive games.

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