WC Countdown: Nobody fears the Pharaohs
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Reading Time: 4min | Fri. 05.06.26. | 15:03
Egypt will record their only fourth appearance at the world's biggest stage
0 wins, 2 draws, 5 defeats. These are the results of the Egyptian national team in the history of the World Cup competition. The Pharaohs managed only three appearances since this competition was introduced and failed to record even a single win, which puts them in a category with seven other teams with a same record (China, Canada, El Salvador, Haiti, Indonesia, New Zealand and Trinidad and Tobago)! Their previous results included a Round of 16 4-2 loss to Hungary (1934) and two group stage appearances in 1990 and 2018. This will be their fourth appearance at the world stage and a chance to finally win at least one game.
Egypt qualified for the World Cup unbeaten after missing out on Qatar 2022, booking their ticket to North America with a game to spare. They scored 19 goals in nine matches, as Mohamed Salah led the way with nine, conceded two goals and kept seven clean sheets. They are now full of confidence and belief that they can finally win a game at the World Cup, which could happen, considering their rivals. Egypt is in Group G, with Belgium, Iran and New Zealand. Considering the strength of the teams in the group, the Pharaohs could even qualify for the Round of 32.
Main virtues:
This African powerhouse are regulars in AFCON in the last five years (even finished as the runner-ups two times), they have an excellent team cohesion and players who know each other well and deploy the same tactic for years now. They are a though team to break, and play for the result and use counter-attacks, since they have two excellent start capable of executing that game plan: Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush.
Star of the team:
Mohamed Salah. Even the part-time football fans know his name. He is the Pharaoh Ramesses II of Egyptian football and everything revolves around him. When he choose to publicly pick a fight with coach Arne Slot, the whole nation and all players took his side, without a shadow of a doubt. He is the captain and the leader of this team. He is also second on all-time list of scorers for Egypt with 65 goals, and this World Cup will probably see him break the record of his current national team coach Hossam Hassan, who scored 66 goals for Egypt in his playing days. Salah didn’t shine in his last year in Liverpool, but expect him to give all he’s got in this World Cup, as this competition might well be his last. At the age of 33, it’s unlikely we shall see him in Morocco in 2030.
Key weaknesses:
The quality of the team overall. Apart from Salah, who didn’t play a great season in Liverpool and Marmoush, who is a reserve in Manchester City, the Pharaohs don’t have much quality in their team. In fact, even those rare players who are playing abroad are not the leaders in their teams (Nice, Real Oviedo, FC Nordsjælland, Al Wakrah, Al Ain, Al Najma, ENPPI, Barcelona youth system). The vast majority of players are from Egypt, or to be precise from Al Ahly. So, the team cohesion is high, they are a tight group, but the overall quality is lacking.
Predictions:
Considering the strength of teams in their group, the Pharaohs should qualify for the Round of 32 as second in the group. Another group exit would be a complete disaster. Getting to the Round of 16 however would very much depend of the team which they would face in the previous game. If the Pharaohs finish as second in their group, they could face team like Turkey and there their participation could end.
WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE
First round
Thursday, 11.06.
22.00: (1.50) Mexico (4.00) S.Africa (7.25)
Friday, 12. 06.
05.00: (2.70) S.Korea (3.10) Czech R. (2.75)
22.00: (1.85) Canada (3.70) B&H (4.25)
Saturday, 13.06.
04.00: (2.05) USA (3.35) Paraguay (3.80)
22.00: (12.0) Qatar (5.40) Switzerland (1.28)
Sunday, 14.06.
01.00: (1.62) Brazil (3.80) Morocco (5.80)
04.00: (6.80) Haiti (4.45) Scotland (1.47)
07.00: (4.50) Australia (3.50) Turkey (1.83)
20.00: (1.03) Germany (15.0) Curacao (50.0)
02.00: (2.10) Netherlands (3.45) Japan (3.50)
***odds are subject to change***