Egypt National Football Team

Egypt are the most decorated nation in African football, with a record seven Africa Cup of Nations titles (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010) — more than any other CAF member federation. The Egyptian Football Association was founded in 1921 and Egypt became the first African and Middle Eastern team to qualify for a FIFA World Cup at Italy 1934, defeating Palestine 7-1 on aggregate in the qualifying round and losing 4-2 to Hungary in the first round at the tournament itself. Egypt's four total World Cup appearances are spread across 92 years — 1934, 1990, 2018 and 2026 — making the federation's tournament history the most temporally spread of any nation in the modern game. The 2018 appearance in Russia, anchored by Mohamed Salah's dramatic late goal against Uganda in the qualifying campaign and built around Héctor Cúper's defensively-organised squad, ended in three group-stage defeats but established the modern Salah-led Egypt brand for a global audience. Hossam Hassan, the former Egyptian international who is the country's all-time leading scorer with 69 international goals and a two-time AFCON winner as a player, was appointed head coach in April 2024 after Rui Vitória's exit. Mohamed Salah of Liverpool is captain. The squad combines Salah and Mohamed Elneny with a younger generation of Aliou Cissé-developed talent: Mostafa Mohamed (Nantes), Trezeguet (Trabzonspor), Omar Marmoush (Manchester City) and goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy. Egypt enter 2026 as one of the most-watched African sides at the tournament, with Salah's continued elite Premier League form providing the spotlight.

Mohamed Salah's stoppage-time penalty against Republic of Congo at the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria on 8 October 2017 — converting under pressure from 12 yards to send Egypt to their first World Cup since 1990 — is widely considered the single most-watched moment in Egyptian football history. The stadium, the Salah celebration, and the city-wide celebrations that followed in Cairo and Alexandria, were televised live to a global audience of approximately 60 million. Egypt's 1934 World Cup appearance, while ending in defeat, made the federation the first African or Asian side to play at a World Cup finals. Abdulrahman Fawzi scored both Egyptian goals in the 4-2 first-round defeat to Hungary in Naples — becoming, in the process, the first African to score at a World Cup. The performance, against a Hungary side that had been finalists in the previous Olympic Games, was the foundation of African football's tournament credibility. The seven Africa Cup of Nations titles, capped by three consecutive trophies in 2006, 2008 and 2010 under Hassan Shehata, represent the most sustained period of continental dominance in African football. Mohamed Aboutrika, the playmaker who scored the winning goal in the 2008 final and the only goal in the 2010 final, is widely regarded as the most-decorated African midfielder of his era and remains one of the most popular sporting figures in Egyptian public life.