If all goes according to plan, Egypt will be going to the 2026 World Cup after two more qualifying games.
The Pharaohs will face Ethiopia and Burkina Faso in two crucial qualifiers this month. Cairo will host Ethiopia on 5 September, then travel to Burkina Faso for what could be the game that seals the deal on 9 September.
After six African qualifying games in Group A with four to go, Egypt are on top with 16 points, five more than second place Burkina Faso. Sierra Leone are in third with eight points, and Ethiopia and Guinea-Bissau are tied with six. Djibouti are in last place in the six-team group with just one point.
Every country has to play the other twice, home and away.
In the first round, Egypt defeated Burkina Faso 2-1 at home and beat Ethiopia 2-0 away.
History is in Egypt’s favour ahead of their upcoming meetings. Egypt and Ethiopia have faced off 17 times. The Pharaohs boast 12 victories, with Ethiopia winning three times and the sides playing out two draws.
In their 18th meeting in Cairo on Friday, Egypt will be buoyed by the fact that their record against Ethiopia in the capital is entirely one-sided. Not only have the Egyptians won all six of their matches in Cairo, they have done so by a cumulative score of 26-3.
The clash with Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou four days later will present a sterner test but again, the head-to-head record is in favour of the Pharaohs. Overall, in eight matches against Burkina Faso, Egypt have recorded five victories and three draws.
Even if the stars do not align in Egypt’s favour, they could also qualify without maximum points because there would still be two playoff games to go, and if other results go their way (Burkina Faso play away to Djibouti also on 5 September).
Egypt, however, led by coach Hossam Hassan, will be intent on doing the job themselves.
The encounter with Burkina Faso carries special significance for Hassan, evoking memories of the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations victory and Hassan’s brilliance against host Burkina Faso in the semi-final as a player; in fact, he was joint top scorer of the tournament. Now, as the Pharaohs aspire to return to the World Cup for only the fourth time, the last being in 2018 in Russia, Egyptians are hopeful that Hassan can inspire another famous moment in the nation’s footballing history.
At least nine African nations, winners of each of the nine groups, will automatically qualify for the World Cup. A 10th country from the continent could qualify. The four best runners-up will play in a CAF playoff tournament. The winner of the CAF tournament must take one more step, playing and winning in a FIFA playoff tournament.
Cairo International Stadium is expecting up to 50,000 spectators in the game against Ethiopia after an agreement was reached with the authorities. In recent years, security issues and the coronavirus pandemic kept games in the Egyptian league and that of the national team at limited attendance.
Egypt opened the qualifying campaign with a 6-0 drubbing of Djibouti before securing a 2-0 win over Sierra Leone in the second round.
The record seven-time African champions then defeated Burkina Faso 2-1 in the third round followed by a 1-1 draw with Guinea-Bissau in the fourth.
In the fifth and sixth rounds, Egypt defeated Ethiopia 2-0 before beating Sierra Leone 1-0 respectively.
Hassan has made only minor changes to the team that has gotten Egypt so close to the World Cup.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and Manchester City winger Omar Marmoush headline Egypt’s squad against Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held from 11 June to 19 July 2026, in Canada, Mexico, and the US — in 11 US cities plus three in Mexico and two in Canada. It will mark the first time three nations will co-host the men’s tournament. This 23rd edition of the World Cup will also be the largest in history, featuring an expanded field of 48 national teams from the usual 32 and a total of 104 matches.
The final draw will be held on 5 December 2025 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The draw will determine specific match schedule fixtures, including venues and kickoff times for the tournament.
Mexico will become the first nation to host or co-host the men’s tournament three times, having previously hosted in 1970 and 1986.
The US hosted the World Cup in 1994. Canada has never hosted the tournament.
As of late last month, 13 teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup: the hosts Canada, Mexico, and the US, along with Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, and New Zealand. Jordan and Uzbekistan are making their debut World Cup appearances, while 10 of the other nations which qualified also participated in the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Egypt’s 25-man squad
Goalkeepers: Mohamed Al-Shenawi (Ahly), Mustafa Shobeir (Ahly), Mohamed Sobhi (Zamalek), Abdel-Aziz Al-Balouti (NBE Club).
Defenders: Rami Rabia (Al-Ain - UAE), Mohamed Hani (Ahly), Khaled Sobhi (Masri), Amr Al-Gazar (NBE Club), Hossam Abdel-Maguid (Zamalek), Mohamed Rabia (ZED FC), Ahmed Eid (Masri), Mohamed Hamdi (Pyramids FC), Ahmed Nabil Koka (Ahly).
Midfielders: Hamdi Fathi (Al-Wakrah - Qatar), Nabil “Donga” Emad (Zamalek), Marwan Attia (Ahly), Mahmoud Saber (Pyramids FC), Mohanad Lashin (Pyramids FC), Ahmed “Zizo” Sayed (Ahly), Mahmoud Trezeguet (Ahly), Omar Marmoush (Man City - England), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool - England), Ibrahim Adel (Al Jazeera - UAE).
Strikers: Mustafa Mohamed (Nantes - France), Osama Faisal (NBE Club).
* A version of this article appears in print in the 4 September, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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