Some wounds have cut deeper than others: a stone thrown in Cairo that derailed a nation’s dream in the 1994 qualifiers; a bitter playoff defeat to Algeria national football team in Omdurman that crushed hopes of reaching South Africa 2010; a humiliating collapse against Ghana national football team in 2013; and, more recently, tears in Dakar after a penalty shootout loss to Senegal national football team.

After ending a 56-year World Cup drought at 1990 FIFA World Cup, Egypt returned to qualifying for the 1994 edition with much of the same squad under coach Mahmoud El-Gohary.

On 28 February 1993, Cairo International Stadium throbbed with nearly 100,000 fans as Egypt hosted Zimbabwe national football team in a decisive group match also involving Togo and Angola. Only victory would send Egypt through the final round.

Zimbabwe stunned the hosts when striker Agent Sawu scored in the fifth minute, silencing the crowd. Defender Ashraf Qassem equalized from the penalty spot before forward Hossam Hassan, current Pharaohs coach, fired home what seemed the winning goal.

But the match took a dramatic turn when Zimbabwe coach Reinhard Fabisch was struck by a stone thrown from the stands.

Though he received treatment and the game continued, FIFA later annulled Egypt’s 2-1 victory and ordered a replay on neutral ground.

The replay in Lyon ended goalless, eliminating Egypt and leaving a generation of players stunned, their momentum undone not on the pitch, but by a moment of chaos in the stands.

Egypt’s frustrations continued in the qualifiers for 1998 FIFA World Cup. A 1-0 defeat in Monrovia to Liberia, inspired by 1995 Ballon d'Or George Weah, widened the gap to group leaders Tunisia national football team and effectively ended Egypt’s hopes.

Four years later, another moment of agony followed. In a must-win clash against Algeria, defender Mohamed Emara missed from point-blank range with the goal at his mercy, a moment that came to symbolize Egypt’s faltering campaign.

The 1-1 draw left Egypt third, behind Senegal and Morocco.

That miss echoed an earlier one by Tarek El-Saed, who squandered a one-on-one chance against Morocco national football team in Cairo, prompting commentator Medhat Shalaby to deliver his now-infamous on-air rebuke: “Shame on you, Tarek.”

If near-misses defined the late 1990s, heartbreak reached new heights in the qualifiers for 2010 FIFA World Cup — the last chance for Egypt’s golden generation, winners of three straight Africa Cup of Nations titles between 2006 and 2010.

Players such as Ahmed Hassan, Mohamed Barakat, Mohamed Zidan, Emad Meteab and Amr Zaki seemed destined for the global stage.

When Meteab struck late to seal a 2-0 win over Algeria in Cairo, Egypt believed they had done enough to qualify. But FIFA ordered a playoff in neutral Omdurman, Sudan.

There, defender Antar Yahia scored the only goal, sending Algeria through and leaving Egyptian players in tears on the pitch.

In 2013, Egypt’s campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup began brightly despite domestic unrest that disrupted the Egyptian Premier League. Under U.S. coach Bob Bradley, Egypt swept through the group stage with a perfect record.

Blending veterans such as Mohamed Aboutrika, Wael Gomaa and Ahmed Fathi with emerging talents including Mohamed Salah and Mohamed Elneny, Egypt carried high hopes into a playoff against Ghana.

Those hopes were shattered in Kumasi, where Egypt suffered a crushing 6-1 defeat — one of the darkest nights in the country’s football history. A 2-1 win in the return leg proved little consolation.

Egypt finally returned to the World Cup in 2018, but the cycle of heartbreak resumed in the qualifiers for 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Drawn against Senegal, led by Sadio Mane, Egypt edged the first leg 1-0 before losing by the same scoreline in Dakar, forcing a penalty shootout.

Salah and spot-kick specialist Ahmed 'Zizo' Sayed both missed from the spot, as did Senegal’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Saliou Ciss.

But when Mostafa Mohamed failed to convert, Mane stepped up to score the decisive penalty, sending Senegal through and leaving Egypt’s players slumped on the turf.