VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — History is on the horizon for Egypt, a favorite in Sunday’s World Cup match against New Zealand. Not only could the 28th-ranked Pharaohs get their first World Cup win against the No. 83 All Whites, they also would be in strong position to make the knockout round.
The match “is everything in our world for the moment,” Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said Saturday in comments translated from Arabic.
Their pursuit of history
is part of a larger surge in African soccer's global standing.
The expanded 48-team pool at this year’s tournament helped give African teams more representation and a chance to show they belong at the top level of international soccer. A record 10 teams are representing the continent at the World Cup, Egypt among them.
“The national squads of Africa have proven their great performance many times at the World Cup, including this one,” Hassan said.
At the 2022 World Cup, Morocco made a memorable run to the semifinals.
Other African teams have made their mark on this World Cup already, with Ghana and Ivory Coast winning their opening matches against Panama and Ecuador, respectively. Four African teams, including Egypt, played to a draw in their opening matches.
The Pharaohs’ 1-1 draw against Belgium gave them their first World Cup point since 1990. They carried a lead into halftime against Belgium, the first time they had done so at the World Cup. In fact, the match against Belgium was only the second time Egypt had ever had a lead against an opponent at all in the tournament.
Morocco staved off five-time champion Brazil, Congo escaped with a draw against Portugal and Cape Verde stunned tournament favorite Spain, holding it scoreless in a 0-0 draw.
From a continent on the rise, Egypt has emerged as a powerhouse. Seven-time winners of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Pharaohs want to demonstrate that their prowess extends outside of Africa at this year’s World Cup.
“We want to represent African football and Arab football,” said Hassan, Egypt’s all-time leading goal scorer and a key player for the Pharaohs at the 1990 World Cup.
Hassan’s experience helped propel an Egyptian squad headlined by stars Mo Salah and Omar Marmoush back into the tournament after missing out in 2022.
Salah sits two goals shy of matching his coach’s record. The squad also features a solid lineup of younger players, including 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim. Abdelkarim made his international debut with the senior team in a friendly against Russia just last month, the latest debutant in a new generation of African stars.
We want to live up to the aspirations of the Egyptian fans,” Hassan said. “I only think about bringing happiness to our fans.”
After New Zealand, the Pharaohs face Iran in Seattle for the last match in the group stage.
As Egypt closes in on history, the team plays for its fans and nation – and also for Africa.
__
Connor Joyce is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
__
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
