Egypt team picture during the 2026 World Cup Qualifier football match between Djibouti and Egypt at Larbi zaouli stadium, in Casablanca, Morocco on 8 October 2025 ©Freelance/BackpagePix
Wednesday May 27, 2026. 15:00
Egypt are Africa’s most successful team on the continent with seven AFCON titles, but they’ve struggled to make an impact on the world’s biggest stage. The Pharaohs’ participation at the World Cup has been sporadic since making their debut all the way back in 1934. They had to wait another 56 years to feature at the tournament again and there was a 28-year gap to their next appearance.
The North Africans played just one match at the second edition in Italy, losing 4-2 to Hungary in the round of 16 under the old format. They had a tough group in 1990 and started their campaign (again in Italy) with draws against the Netherlands (1-1) and the Republic of Ireland (0-0) before being beaten 1-0 by England.
Egypt performed even worse in 2018 when Russia hosted the global showpiece, failing to even pick up a single point in Group A. They did manage to score two goals though, kicking things off with a 1-0 defeat against Uruguay followed by a 3-1 loss at the hands of Russia and a 2-1 reverse to Saudi Arabia. Panama were the only other team to lose all three of their group games.
Hossam Hassan’s side may have gotten a more favourable draw this time around as they will contest Group G alongside Belgium, Iran and New Zealand. The Pharaohs should at least be confident of recording their first-ever World Cup win against the All Whites, who have lost all six of their previous matches.