Spanish Coach Augusti Golbi Takes Charge of Egypt's National Basketball Team

Coaching appointment

The Egyptian Basketball Federation announced on Tuesday the appointment of Spanish coach Augusti Golbi as head coach of the men’s national team.

In a statement, the federation said the decision followed a review of several foreign coaching résumés.

The selection committee, led by vice-president Tarik Al-Saeed, said Golbi's extensive coaching experience tipped the scales.

Golbi is 53 years old and previously led Zamalek in 2020 before taking charge at Al Ahly from 2021 to 2025.

He has also coached in Spain with Fuenlabrada and worked as an assistant at Barcelona.

His most recent stint was with Dewa United in Indonesia.

Over his career, he has won the African Basketball Champions League twice with Zamalek and Al Ahly, claimed the Arab Club Championship, and lifted the Egyptian league title four times along with two Egypt Cups.

Egypt will compete in Group 4 of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers alongside Mali, Uganda and Angola, with the first phase scheduled for February 26 to March 1 and the second phase from June 2 to 5. Funny aside: if his plays are as sharp as his press conferences, Egypt might just surprise a few teams. And if nothing else works, we can always count on a killer fast break and a coach who doubles as a stand-up comedian on the bench.