Egypt national football team

Egypt first participated in the first Africa Cup of Nations tournament in 1957. In their first game, a semi-final, they faced Sudan, winning 2–1; Egypt won 4–0 in the final.[3]

In their second participation in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1959, Egypt became champions again. There were only three teams in that tournament, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt, who were undefeated.[4] They lost their first final in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1962.[5]

Their fourth appearance came in 1963 in Ghana. Egypt was placed in Group B with Sudan and Nigeria, defeating Nigeria 6–3, but drawing 2–2 against Sudan. Despite being undefeated in the group stage, they were ranked second, behind Sudan by goal difference. Egypt, as runners-up in Group B, participated in the 3rd place match, playing against Ethiopia, winning 3–0.[6]

For the 1965 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt qualified for the tournament, but withdrew because of their diplomatic relationship with hosts Tunisia.[7] They also withdrew in 1968.[8]

In the 1970 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted again in Sudan, Egypt were in Group B along with Ghana, Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as Congo-Kinshasa back then. In their opening match, Egypt defeated Guinea by a score of 4–1 and drew Ghana 1–1, defeating Congo-Kinshasa 1–0. Egypt ended being in first place, thus advancing to the next round, where they faced Sudan. Egypt eventually lost their first game in the Africa Cup of Nations by a scored of 2–1, then in the third place match, won against Ivory Coast 3–1.[9]

Egypt failed to qualify for the first time in 1972 after being eliminated by Morocco by an aggregate score of 5–3.[10] However, Egypt returned for 1974, hosting the event. They finished third place.[11] Two years later, in Ethiopia, they were in Group A with the hosts, Guinea, and Uganda. Egypt defeated Uganda 2–1, but drew against Uganda and Ethiopia. Egypt advanced to the final round, and lost all matches.[12] This is the first Africa Cup of Nations tournament that Egypt lost 3 consecutive games. Egypt then failed to qualify for 1978.[13]

Egypt reappeared for the 1980 African Cup of Nations, defeating Ivory Coast and defeated Tanzania, but lost to hosts Nigeria 1–0. Egypt progressed to the semi-finals to face Algeria, who defeated the Egyptians on penalties.[14] For the Four years later, Egypt defeated Cameroon and Ivory Coast, and drew Togo, eventually finishing fourth behind Algeria.[15]

For 1986, Egypt hosted; they lost to Senegal 1–0. However, Egypt went on to win their two remaining games in the group stage, 2–0 against the Ivory Coast and Mozambique. Egypt advanced to the final for the first time since 1962, eventually winning.[16] Egypt qualified for 1990, losing all group stage matches, thus making Egypt fail to obtain at least one point for the first time in the Africa Cup of Nations.[17] They repeated this in 1992.[17]

In the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, Egypt defeated Gabon 4–0 and tied Nigeria 0–0. They lost to Mali 1–0 in the quarterfinals.[18] Egypt won their fourth title in 1998, defeating South Africa in the final.[19]

Egypt qualified for the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, in Tunisia. Egypt were placed in Group C with Algeria, Zimbabwe, and Cameroon. Egypt won 2–1 against Zimbabwe, lost 2–1 to Algeria, and drew 0–0 against Cameroon, failing to qualify for the quarter-finals due to Algeria scoring more goals than Egypt in the group stage, after being equal on points and goal difference.[20]

The 2006 Africa Cup of Nations was hosted in Egypt; the hosts were in Group A with Libya, Morocco, and the Ivory Coast. Egypt defeated Libya 3–0, tied 0–0 against Morocco, and won 3–1 against the Ivory Coast. Egypt would eventually win the tournament on penalties, and would also win the 2008 and 2010 tournaments.[21][22] They would then fail to qualify for the next three AFCON tournaments.

Egypt qualified for the 2017 tournament, drawing against Mali in their first match in Group D.[23] Successive 1–0 wins against Uganda and Ghana saw the Pharaohs qualify to the quarter-finals as group winners.[24][25] Egypt faced Morocco at the quarter-final stage, and defeated them for the first time in 31 years to set up a semi-final clash with Burkina Faso.[26] Mohamed Salah's goal against the Stallions was canceled out by an Aristide Bancé strike; however, veteran goalkeeper Essam El Hadary saved two spot-kicks in the penalty shootout to earn a spot in the final for Egypt.[27] Egypt then faced Cameroon, and lost the final for the second time.

In the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, hosts Egypt were knocked out by South Africa in the round of 16, despite three wins in the group stage.[28] In the 2021 Africa Cup, Egypt went to the final despite dire performances in the group stage and beating Ivory Coast on penalties after a 0–0 draw. Egypt then beat Cameroon 3–1 in penalties after a 0–0 draw, to reach their 10th final, beating Ghana's record of final appearances. Egypt suffered their first of two losses to Senegal in 2022, both on penalties (in the AFCON final and in World Cup qualifying), both winning penalties scored by Sadio Mané.[29]

Egypt national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

Egypt has qualified for the FIFA World Cup three times: in 1934, in 1990 and for the 2018 editions. Egypt was the first African country to qualify for the World Cup, beating Mandatory Palestine. It lost to Hungary 4–2 in their first and only match in 1934.

In 1990, Egypt qualified after beating Algeria 1–0 in the playoffs. They were drawn in Group F, with Ireland, England and the Netherlands. Since the Egyptians favored defensive tactics, they scored only one goal in the 1990 World Cup. A 1–1 draw with UEFA Euro 1988 champions Netherlands gave the Egyptians their first point in the World Cup. This was followed by a draw against Ireland and a 1–0 loss to England.

On 8 October 2017, Egypt qualified for the 2018 World Cup after a 2–1 win over Congo.[30]

In the 2018 World Cup, Egypt was drawn with Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and the hosts, Russia. They started their first game against Uruguay, without Salah, who was injured in the UEFA Champions League final. Despite this, they lost 1–0, and goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy was voted man of the match. He refused the reward due to sponsorship by Budweiser.[31]

Salah returned to the starting lineup when Egypt faced Russia. Russia led 3–0, and then Salah scored Egypt's first World Cup goal in 28 years.

Egypt's third and final match was a Red Sea Derby against Saudi Arabia, also out of contention after two losses. Essam El Hadary became the oldest player in the World Cup at 45 years and 161 days.

Héctor Cúper, who was criticised due to his defensive strategies against Saudi Arabia, was sacked.[32] The Egyptian Football Association was also criticised due to having its base in Chechnya, far from where Egypt's matches were played.[33] The Egyptian media and the public heavily criticized EFA's management of the team.[34][35][36]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Uruguay	3	3	0	0	5	0	+5	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	Russia (H)	3	2	0	1	8	4	+4	6
3	Saudi Arabia	3	1	0	2	2	7	−5	3
4	Egypt	3	0	0	3	2	6	−4	0

Note: ¹ A committee of six former Egypt internationals.

• The following players were called up for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches.[37]
• Match dates: 24 and 28 March 2023
• Opposition:  Malawi
• Caps and goals correct as of: 28 March 2023, after the match against  Malawi.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ahmed El Shenawy	(1991-05-14) 14 May 1991	28	0	Pyramids
16	1GK	Mohamed El Shenawy	(1988-12-18) 18 December 1988	46	0	Al Ahly
23	1GK	Mohamed Sobhy	(1999-07-15) 15 July 1999	2	0	Zamalek
24	2DF	Mohamed Abdelmonem	(1999-02-01) 1 February 1999	14	2	Al Ahly
2	2DF	Ali Gabr	(1989-01-10) 10 January 1989	31	1	Pyramids
4	2DF	Osama Galal	(1997-09-17) 17 September 1997	1	0	Pyramids
12	2DF	Mohamed Hamdy	(1995-03-15) 15 March 1995	7	0	Pyramids
3	2DF	Mohamed Hany	(1996-01-25) 25 January 1996	9	0	Al Ahly
6	2DF	Ahmed Hegazi	(1991-01-25) 25 January 1991	83	2	Al Ittihad
18	2DF	Hesham Salah	(1997-06-10) 10 June 1997	0	0	Al Ittihad
14	3MF	Emam Ashour	(1998-02-20) 20 February 1998	11	0	Midtjylland
15	3MF	Marwan Ateya	(1998-08-01) 1 August 1998	1	0	Al Ahly
5	3MF	Hamdy Fathy	(1994-09-29) 29 September 1994	28	1	Al Ahly
13	3MF	Ahmed Fotouh	(1998-03-22) 22 March 1998	21	1	Zamalek
19	3MF	Mahmoud Hamada	(1993-11-01) 1 November 1993	5	0	Pharco
8	3MF	Tarek Hamed	(1988-10-24) 24 October 1988	54	1	Al-Ittihad
20	4FW	Ahmed Abdel Kader	(1999-05-23) 23 May 1999	1	0	Al Ahly
17	4FW	Mostafa Fathi	(1994-05-12) 12 May 1994	17	0	Pyramids
9	4FW	Koka	(1993-03-05) 5 March 1993	31	6	Alanyaspor
7	4FW	Kahraba	(1994-04-13) 13 April 1994	27	4	Al Ahly
22	4FW	Omar Marmoush	(1999-02-07) 7 February 1999	17	4	VfL Wolfsburg
11	4FW	Mostafa Mohamed	(1997-11-28) 28 November 1997	25	6	Nantes
10	4FW	Mohamed Salah (captain)	(1992-06-15) 15 June 1992	89	51	Liverpool
25	4FW	Zizo	(1996-01-10) 10 January 1996	27	2	Zamalek

The following players have been called up for the team in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Gabaski	(1989-01-29) 29 January 1989	9	0	National Bank of Egypt	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
DF	Omar Gaber	(1992-01-30) 30 January 1992	31	1	Zamalek	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
DF	Mahmoud Hamdy	(1995-06-01) 1 June 1995	26	2	Zamalek	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
DF	Mahmoud Alaa	(1991-01-28) 28 January 1991	15	0	Al Ittihad Alexandria	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
DF	Akram Tawfik	(1997-11-08) 8 November 1997	10	1	Al Ahly	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
DF	Omar Kamal	(1993-09-29) 29 September 1993	10	0	Future	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
DF	Hussein El Sayed	(1991-09-18) 18 September 1991	3	0	Al-Masry	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
DF	Hussein Elbarabry	(1998-04-24) 24 April 1998	0	0	Future	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
DF	Ayman Ashraf	(1991-04-09) 9 April 1991	30	2	Al Ahly	v.  Liberia, 27 September 2022
DF	Yasser Ibrahim	(1993-02-10) 10 February 1993	4	0	Al Ahly	v.  South Korea, 14 June 2022
MF	Mohamed Elneny	(1992-07-11) 11 July 1992	93	8	Arsenal	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
MF	Trézéguet	(1994-10-01) 1 October 1994	58	9	Trabzonspor	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
MF	Amr El Solia	(1990-04-02) 2 April 1990	48	1	Al Ahly	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
MF	Afsha	(1996-03-06) 6 March 1996	18	5	Al Ahly	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
MF	Hussein El Shahat	(1992-06-21) 21 June 1992	10	0	Al Ahly	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
MF	Dunga	(1996-04-06) 6 April 1996	8	0	Zamalek	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
MF	Canaria	(1999-01-25) 25 January 1999	0	0	Smouha	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
MF	Mohanad Lasheen	(1996-05-29) 29 May 1996	9	0	Tala'ea El Gaish	v.  South Korea, 14 June 2022
FW	Marwan Hamdy	(1996-11-15) 15 November 1996	13	1	Smouha	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
FW	Ahmed Refaat	(1993-06-20) 20 June 1993	5	2	Future	v.  Belgium, 18 November 2022
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. PRE Preliminary squad / standby. RET Retired from the national team. SUS Player suspended from the squad for disciplinary reasons. WD Player withdrew from the squad for non-injury related reasons.

In 2017, Egypt set a new record of 24 consecutive Africa Cup of Nations matches played without defeat, dating back to their last tournament appearance in 2010. During this run, Egypt also reached a record nine consecutive wins in AFCON matches after beating Ghana in the 2010 final, while becoming the first team to win three consecutive AFCON titles. The unbeaten run came to an end on 5 February 2017, after Egypt lost 1–2 to Cameroon in the 2017 final.

No.	Date	Opponent	Score	Result
1.	3 February 2004	Cameroon	0–0	Draw
2.	20 January 2006	Libya	3–0	Win
3.	24 January 2006	Morocco	0–0	Draw
4.	28 January 2006	Ivory Coast	3–1	Win
5.	3 February 2006	DR Congo	4–1	Win
6.	7 February 2006	Senegal	2–1	Win
7.	10 February 2006	Ivory Coast	0–0 (4–2 p)	Draw
8.	22 January 2008	Cameroon	4–2	Win
9.	26 January 2008	Sudan	3–0	Win
10.	30 January 2008	Zambia	1–1	Draw
11.	4 February 2008	Angola	2–1	Win
12.	7 February 2008	Ivory Coast	4–1	Win
13.	10 February 2008	Cameroon	1–0	Win
14.	12 January 2010	Nigeria	3–1	Win
15.	16 January 2010	Mozambique	2–0	Win
16.	20 January 2010	Benin	2–0	Win
17.	25 January 2010	Cameroon	3–1	Win
18.	28 January 2010	Algeria	4–0	Win
19.	31 January 2010	Ghana	1–0	Win
20.	17 January 2017	Mali	0–0	Draw
21.	21 January 2017	Uganda	1–0	Win
22.	25 January 2017	Ghana	1–0	Win
23.	29 January 2017	Morocco	1–0	Win
24.	1 February 2017	Burkina Faso	1–1 (4–3 p)	Draw

Egypt appeared in two of the ten FIFA Confederations Cups contested, being eliminated in the group stage on both occasions. Egypt's first Confederations Cup appearance was in 1999 as a result of winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 1998. The second appearance was in 2009 as the Africa Cup of Nations winners in 2008, where they won against Italy 1–0.

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1992	Did not qualify
1995
1997
1999	Group stage	7th	3	0	2	1	5	9	Squad
2001	Did not qualify
2003
2005
2009	Group stage	6th	3	1	0	2	4	7	Squad
2013	Did not qualify
2017
Total	Group stage	2/10	6	1	2	3	9	16	—

Football at the Olympic Games record
Appearances: 12									Qualified : 14
Year/Host	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
Athens 1896	No football tournament
1900–1912	Did not participate
Antwerp 1920	First round	1	0	0	1	1	2		No qualification
Paris 1924	Quarter-final	2	1	0	1	3	5
Amsterdam 1928	Fourth place	4	2	0	2	12	19
Los Angeles 1932	No football tournament
Berlin 1936	First round	1	0	0	1	1	3		No qualification
London 1948	First round	1	0	0	1	1	3
Helsinki 1952	First round	2	1	0	1	6	7
Melbourne 1956	Withdrew from Finals								2	2	0	0	9	3
Roma 1960	First round	3	0	1	2	4	11		4	3	0	1	11	5
Tokyo 1964	Fourth place	6	2	1	3	18	16		4	3	1	0	14	6
Mexico 1968	Withdrew from qualifiers
Munich 1972	Did not qualify								2	1	0	1	2	3
Montreal 1976									2	0	1	1	1	2
Moscow 1980	Withdrew from finals								4	1	3	0	7	4
Los Angeles 1984	Quarter-final	4	1	1	2	5	5		6	3	2	1	6	3
Seoul 1988	Did not qualify								4	2	1	1	7	2
Barcelona 1992	First round	3	1	0	2	5	6		6	4	2	0	11	3
Atlanta 1996	Did not qualify								4	2	1	1	5	4
Sydney 2000									8	4	3	1	15	9
Athens 2004									6	0	0	6	1	13
Beijing 2008									4	1	2	1	6	4
London 2012	Quarter-final	4	1	1	2	6	8		9	5	1	3	12	6
Rio de Janeiro 2016	Did not qualify								1	1	0	0	4	0
Tokyo 2020	Quarter-final	4	1	1	2	2	2		5	5	0	0	11	4
Total	11/25	31	9	4	18	62	85	65	31	17	17	111	67

• Egypt withdrew from the 1956 Football tournament and boycotted the 1980 Olympics after qualifying for both.

African Games record
Appearances: 7
Year	Round	M	W	D	L	GF	GA
Brazzaville 1965	Did not qualify
Lagos 1973	Bronze medal	5	3	0	2	12	12
Algiers 1978	Withdrew after Round 1	3	2	1	0	6	2
Nairobi 1987	Gold medal	5	3	1	1	7	5
Cairo 1991	Fifth place	4	1	1	2	5	6
Harare 1995	Gold medal	5	4	0	1	8	3
Johannesburg 1999	Did not qualify
Abuja 2003	Group stage	3	0	0	3	2	6
Algiers 2007	Group stage	3	0	0	3	4	8
Maputo 2011	Withdrew
Brazzaville 2015	Withdrew
Total	7/11	28	13	3	12	44	39

• Prior to the Cairo 1991 campaign, the All-Africa Games was open to full senior national teams

• Africa Cup of Nations

Winners: 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010

Runners-up: 1962, 2017, 2021

Third place: 1963, 1970, 1974

Fourth place: 1976, 1980, 1984

• All-Africa Games

Champions: 1987, 1995

Third place: 1973

• Afro-Asian Cup of Nations

Runners-up: 1988, 2007

• Pan Arab Games

Champions: 1953, 1965, 1992*, 2007

Runners-up: 1961

• Arab Cup

Champions: 1992*

Third Place: 1988

• Palestine Cup of Nations

Champions: 1972, 1975

Note: * The 1992 edition organised as part of the Pan Arab Games, and also counted as Arab Cup.

• Mediterranean Games

Champions: 1955

Silver Medalist: 1951

Bronze Medalist: 1983

• 7th November Cup

Runners-up: 1993

• Nile Basin Tournament

Champions: 2011

• LG Cup (association football)

Champions: 2005