Egypt's 2026 World Cup Quest Begins in the UAE: A Bold, Long-Term Kickoff
9 October 2025
Road to the World Cup 2026 Begins in the UAE
The Egyptian Football Association announced the outlines of the team’s preparation for the 2026 World Cup finals following their official qualification.
The Pharaohs clinched their place by defeating Djibouti 3-0 on Wednesday night at the Al-Arabi Al-Zouali Stadium in Morocco, in the ninth and penultimate round of Africa's qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Under head coach Hossam Hassan, Egypt topped Group A with 28 points, five clear of Burkina Faso in second place.
Egypt has previously appeared at the World Cup in 1934, 1990 and 2018.
Long-term Plan, UAE Friendly and Aspirations
Tarik Abu El-Ainain, a board member of the Egyptian Football Association, spoke about a long-term plan to prepare the team for the finals in the best possible way, in coordination with the sponsor and the Ministry of Youth and Sports under Dr. Ashraf Sobhi.
The World Cup finals will be held in June in the United States, Canada and Mexico with 48 teams.
Abu El-Ainain said Egypt will take part in an international friendly tournament in the UAE during November as the first step of the preparations; the participating teams have not yet been decided.
The federation, led by Hany Abu Rida, aims to go far in the World Cup; the expansion to 48 teams naturally invites more teams into the competition, and there is strong cooperation between the federation and the Ministry of Sports.
Qualifying for the World Cup is not the end but the start of a long-term reform to align the football pathway across age groups, from youth to the senior national team.
Egypt deserves to be on the continental and global map, and the drive to improve is relentless.
Hany Abu Rida noted that Hassan remains in charge, regardless of results in the AFCON tournament to be held in Morocco later this year.
Mustafa Abu Zahra said a big celebration will be organized at Cairo Stadium on Sunday after the Guinea-Bissau match, including a concert by Ahmed Saad.
The national team will return from Morocco on a private flight today to prepare for the final qualifier against Guinea-Bissau.
Bonuses: players and staff are set to receive substantial bonuses; each player will receive 800,000 Egyptian pounds, distributed according to participation, with Ibrahim Hassan guiding the payout talks.
Abu Rida will also meet with Hassan to arrange the November training camp in the UAE, which will follow the Egyptian Super Cup matches.
There is talk of inviting major African teams such as Nigeria, Cameroon and Algeria, along with a European invitee, though the final decision rests with the coaching staff.
Abu Rida has reiterated that Hassan will stay on as coach regardless of AFCON results in Morocco later this year.
Punchline 1: If planning were a goal, Egypt just scored—and the afterparty is already in the calendar.
Punchline 2: The road to the World Cup is long, but Egypt brought the map, the snacks, and apparently the entire fanbase.
