Record CAF Africa Cup of Nations champions, Egypt – with seven titles are looking at making an indelible mark on the global stage
Egypt missed out on the 2022 edition, despite Mohammed Salah being one of the biggest stars in the global game. Their last appearance was in 2018, where they finished bottom of the group that had hosts Russia, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.
Now drawn in a balanced Group G consisting of Belgium, Iran and New Zealand, the Pharaohs will be aiming at nothing less than progression from the group stages.
Coach – Hossam Hassan
Egypt are coached by their legendary striker Hossam Hassan. Hassan remains Egypt’s record scorer with 69 goals to his name.
There is no better man to motivate and guide the Egyptian stars into believing that they can do it more than the strikers who scored many goals for the North Africans.
Hassan took over at the coach of the national team in February 2024, following the team’s round of 16 exit at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations.
How Egypt qualified
Egypt started the World Cup qualifiers with a 2-1 win over Burkina Faso. A draw away to Guinea-Bissau followed.
Hassan added more fire-power to the team, winning three straight qualifiers that included two victories against Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and then a draw against Burkina Faso away from home. Two more wins followed against Guinea-Bissau and Djibouti.
In the end, they finished top of Group A with eight wins from 10 matches, raking in an impressive 26 points with zero losses.
Egypt’s World Cup Group and fixtures
Group G: Belgium, New Zealand, Iran
This promises to be a tournament of firsts for Egypt, because they have never come up against any of their opponents at the World Cup in the past.
Belgium v Egypt | 15 June 2026
Egypt start with a tough clash against a Belgium side that failed to come out of their group in 2022. But this is the same Belgium side that finished third in 2018, and that is the year where Egypt could not get out of their group. A win in the first match will give Hossam Hassan’s team some confidence going into the next two matches.
Head-to-Head Record:
Egypt have the upper hand against Egypt. The two nations met in three friendly internationals. Their first meeting in 2005 saw Egypt win 4-0. Belgium won the second match saw Belgium win 3-0 in 2018, with Egypt then edging out Belgium 2-1 in 2022.
- Egypt wins: 2
- Draws: 0
- Belgium wins: 1
- Goals: Egypt 6, Belgium 4
New Zealand v Egypt | 22 June 2026
New Zealand may be organized and solid, but this is a match that Egypt will be looking at as one where they can get maximum points. With the quality of players that Egypt have, they will be looking at this as a match that can get their World Cup campaign going.
Head-to-Head Record:
Egypt and New Zealand have met just once in friendly international at the FIFA Series back in 2022. Egypt edged out the White Caps 1-0 in Cairo.
- Egypt wins: 1
- Draws: 0
- New Zealand wins: 0
- Goals: Egypt 1, New Zealand 0
Egypt v Iran | 27 June 2026
Egypt are yet to beat Iran – a statistic that the former African champions will be looking at changing. With this being the last match of the group, Egypt will have to give it everything to advance to the knockout stage for the very first time.
Head-to-Head Record:
Egypt and Iran have met twice in the past. The two matches were in international friendlies. Egypt do not have a win against the Iranians, having lost the first one and then drew the second. This will be an important time for Egypt to make a mark against Iran when it matters most.
- Egypt wins: 0
- Draws: 1
- Iran wins: 1
- Goals: Egypt 3, Iran 1
Key players to watch
Mohammed Salah – Forward
Mohamed Salah has cemented his name as one of the greatest players to come out of Africa.
While Salah has won everything there is to win at club level with his former side Liverpool, it is in the Egyptian jersey that he is yet to achieve the same feat. Egypt has won the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON seven time, but this has never happened with Salah in the team. He only managed two runner-up appearances in 2017 and 2021.
With this touted as his last dance at the World Cup, Salah will be looking to give Egypt something they have never experienced at the biggest stage, a victory at the World Cup, and a knockout stage appearance.
Omar Mamoush – Forward
Omar Marmoush is one of the best not only for Egypt, but for Manchester City, where he has won many trophies. The 27-year-old attacker is capable of magic moments. The dangerous forward has been one of the key men, and many see him as the heir apparent to 33-year-old Salah.
Previous World Cup appearances
The Pharaohs have made just three FIFA World Cup in the past, and this will be their fourth. They made their debut in Italy 92 years ago.
- 1934 – Round of 16
- 1990 – Group Stage
- 2018 – Group Stage
Egypt do not have many notable moments at the World Cup, making this an important World Cup for them.
What Egypt wants to achieve for the first time
The 2026 edition offers Egypt an incredible chance at history, where they will be looking to win their first ever match at the competition.
Egypt have never made it past the first round of the FIFA World Cup. They played in the quarterfinals 92 years ago in Italy.
SOURCE: CAF ONLINE
