Egypt
Appearances at World Cups
Egypt appeared at the world cup first back in 1934 and became the first African squad in history of the tournament. Then the world cup had another format, and the Egyptians played just one match at the Italian WC where they lost to Hungary 2-4. The next time the national team of Egypt reached the decisive stage was only 56 years later, moreover, the world cup was in Italy again. The Egyptians had a draw in two of three meetings but lost to the English 1-0 in the last round.
To qualify for the WC in Russia, this African national team needed just 28 years. The Egyptians have set a kind of record in their local championship during this time. From 2006 to 2010, Egypt won the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) three times in a row, what nobody had ever done before. Last year, representatives of the country of pyramids stopped at the CAN a step from a gold. At the same time, they finally could qualify for the WC.
year | g | W | D | L | М | total |
1934 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2-4 | 1/8 |
1990 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1-2 | 4 th place in group |
Total | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3-6 | - |
Head coach and best player
Mohamed Salah who won the title of the best African player last season is the main star of the national team of Egypt. The position in goal where 44-year-old Essam El-Hadary from Arabian Al-Taawoun is also draws attention. Many people will stay tuned for the game of the 23-year-old midfielder Kahraba who is considered a rising star in his homeland.
Very authoritative Argentinian specialist Héctor Cúper chairs the squad. This coach reached the Champions League final with his teams in the early 2000s several times and was considered only a club coach. The Egyptian national team's successful performance became possible thanks to coherent defensive actions and a game based on counterattacks. Considering that Cúper is confirmed conservative he will unlikely to repeat such a scenario on Russian pitches too.
- Preliminary squad: El Hadary – Abdel Shafy, Hegazi, Rabia, Fathy – Hamed, Elneny, Said – Sobhi, Salah, Hassan.
Mohamed Salah is the main star of the national team of Egypt. Photo: eurosport.ru
Base camp and cities
The opponent of the national team of Russia at the group stage will be based in Chechnya, which isn't surprising in itself considering the religion of the Egyptians. Moreover, the training complex of Akhmat FC will be given to them, which is not the last construction in our country in terms of quality. The Egyptian national team will play in three cities – Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Volgograd. What's more, the first match in the tournament will be an opening match against the Russian squad.