Egypt national football team

History

The first Egyptian national football team was constituted in 1920 to compete in the Summer Olympics in Belgium. The opening match of their campaign was a loss against the Italians. Egypt had appeared in two FIFA World Cups and they are the most successful team in the Africa Cup of Nations, winning the competition seven times, with the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations being the most recent one.

Egypt in the FIFA World Cup

Egypt qualified to the FIFA world cup twice in 1934 and 1990. Egypt was the first African country to qualify to the World Cup and lost to the Hungary 4–2 in their first and only match. They only scored one goal in the 1990 World Cup scored by Magdy AbdelGhany to give the Egyptians their first point of the tournament.

Africa Cup of Nations

Egypt first participated in the first Africa Cup of Nations tournament in 1957. In their first game, which was a semi-final, they faced Sudan, winning 2–1 with goals from Raafat Attia and Ad-Diba, enabling Egypt to play in their first final. In the final, they faced Ethiopia, in which Egypt won 4–0, with these goals being scored by Ad-Diba, thus making them champions for the first time in the Africa Cup of Nations. The top scorer of this tournament was Ad-Diba from Egypt with five goals.

In their second participation in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1959, Egypt became champions again. There were only three teams in that tournament, being Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt itself. Egypt again was undefeated in this tournament, like in the previous tournament in 1957, defeating both Ethiopia and Sudan.

Their third appearance, which was in the 1962 African Cup of Nations, hosted in Ethiopia, in which Egypt faced Uganda in the semi-finals, there were only four teams in this tournament, by a score of 2–1. Egypt then advanced to the finals, where they faced the hosts Ethiopia, but they lost 4–2 during extra time, thus losing their first final in the Africa Cup of Nations, along with Ethiopia being champions for the first time and also being the first nation to win it other than Egypt, who were champions twice.

Their fourth appearance came in 1963 in Ghana. Egypt was placed in Group B with Sudan and Nigeria, winning Nigeria with a score of 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 Ethiopia 3–0.

For the 1965 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt did qualify for the tournament, but they withdrew because of their diplomatic relationship with Tunisia, who were hosts of the tournament.

Again, Egypt withdrew from the 1968 Africa Cup of Nations, against hosted in Ethiopia.

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, in which Ali Abo Greisha scored twice, Hassan El-Shazly scored once, and Taha Basry also scored once during that game. Egypt's next game was against Ghana, which ended as a 1–1 draw, with Ibrahim Sunday scoring for Ghana and Bazooka scoring for Egypt. In their third game in this tournament, they faced Congo-Kinshasa, in which Egypt won 1–0 by a goal from Abo Greisha. Egypt ended being in first place, thus advancing to the next round, where they faced Sudan. In the game against Sudan, Egypt lost their first game in the Africa Cup of Nations by a scored of 2–1, with El-Shazly scoring the equalizer that put Egypt to extra time, before being scored again by Sudan, thus eliminating them from playing the final. However, in the third place match, they won Ivory Coast by a score of 3–1, making Egypt become third place again in this tournament.

For the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt failed to qualify for the first time in this tournament after being eliminated by Morocco by an aggregate score of 5–3.

However, Egypt returned for the 1974 African Cup of Nations, in which they were hosts for the first time. In the group stage, Egypt were in Group A with Zambia, Uganda, and the Ivory Coast. Egypt was successful, defeating Uganda 2–1, Zambia with a score of 3–1, and the Ivory Coast by a score of 2–0. They progressed to the semi-finals to play against Zaire. Egypt lost 2–3 against Zaire, so Egypt had to face Congo for third place. Egypt won Congo by a score of 4–0.

In the 1976 African Cup of Nations, in Ethiopia, they were in Group A with the hosts Ethiopia, Guinea, and Uganda. Egypt defeated Uganda 2–1, but drew against Uganda 1–1 and Ethiopia, also 1–1. Despite this, Egypt advanced to the final round. In the final round, Egypt lost all their games. Egypt lost to Morocco 2–1, 4–2 against Guinea, and 3–2 against Nigeria. However, they scored in these three matches. This is the first Africa Cup of Nations tournament that Egypt lost 3 consecutive games.

Egypt again failed to qualify for the 1978 African Cup of Nations in Ghana.

Egypt reappeared for the 1980 African Cup of Nations in Nigeria. Egypt, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, and Tanzania, were in Group A. They won in their first game against the Ivory Coast 2–1, defeated Tanzania 2–1 too, but lost to the host Nigeria by a score of 1–0, scored by Okey Isima. Egypt progressed to the next round which was the semi-finals, to face Algeria. Egypt lost this game 4–2 in penalties, after drawing 2–2 after extra time. For the third place match, Egypt lost to Morocco, making Egypt being in the fourth place rank.

Egypt withdrew during qualifying for the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations in Libya.

For the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt returned. Egypt, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, and Togo, were drawn in Group A. Egypt won against Cameroon 1–0, the Ivory Coast 1–2, but drew with Togo 0–0. Egypt advanced to the next round, the semi-finals, to face Nigeria. Egypt lost to Nigeria in penalties, with the score in penalties being 7–8, after drawing 2–2. For the third place match, Egypt lost 3–1 to Algeria.

Even though Egypt were in fourth place in the previous tournament, it changed. In the 1986 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt became the host again. In their opening game, Egypt lost to Senegal 1–0. However, Egypt went on to win their two remaining games in the group stage, with scores of 2–0 against the Ivory Coast, and 2–0 against Mozambique. Egypt were in first place in Group A, and in the semi-finals, Egypt won against Morocco 1–0, advancing to the final since the 1962 edition, to play against Cameroon, who had Roger Milla. Egypt won the game 5–4 in penalties, after drawing 0–0, thus becoming champions for the third time since the tournament from 1959.

In the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Egypt were not as successful than in the 1986 edition. Egypt entered this championship as the current title holders. They were in Group B with Cameroon, Nigeria, and Kenya. In their game against Cameroon, they lost 1–0 by a goal from Roger Milla. However, they did not lose against Nigeria and Kenya, as Egypt drew 1–1 against Nigeria in Stade Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, and defeated Kenya 3–0, also in Stade Moulay Abdellah, with two goals from Gamal Abdelhamid and one goal from Ayman Younes. Despite, they were a point below from entering the next round, which was the semi-finals.

In the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria, it got worse. Egypt did qualify for this tournament, and they were put in Group A, along with Algeria, Nigeria, and the Ivory Coast. Egypt lost all their group stage games, thus making Egypt fail to obtain at least one point for the first time in the Africa Cup of Nations. The scores the 3–1 defeat to the Ivory Coast, the 1–0 defeat to Nigeria, and the 2–0 defeat to Algeria.

In the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted in Senegal, Egypt entered by qualifying to this tournament. Egypt were placed in Group D with Ghana and Zambia. In their game against Zambia, Egypt lost 1–0. In their game against Nigeria, they lost again by a score of 1–0 too. Egypt again failed to obtain a least a point for the second time, being consecutive, along with losing all their games in the group stage.

In the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, in Tunisia, Egypt were in Group B with Nigeria and Gabon. In their first game, against Gabon, Egypt won 4–0 with goals from Ayman Mansour, Hamza El-Gamal, in which they scored once in that game, and Bashir Abdel Samad, who scored two. In their second game, they drew against Nigeria 0–0. Egypt were able to qualify to the next round, which were the quarter-finals, being first place in Group B by goal difference, to face Mali. In this game, Egypt lost 0–1 to Mali in Stade El Menzah in Tunis, thus knocking out Egypt from the tournament.

In the 1996 edition, hosted in South Africa, Egypt participated in this tournament. Egypt were placed in Group A with the hosts South Africa, Cameroon, and Angola. In their first game, Egypt faced Angola, successful winning 2–1 with both goals scored from Ahmed El-Kass. In their second game, however, Egypt lost 2–1 against Cameroon. In their third game, against South Africa, Egypt defeated South Africa 0–1, with the goal from El-Kass. Egypt qualified to the quarter-finals, as runners-up of the group, being behind the hosts. In the quarter-finals, Egypt were to face Zambia. In this game, Egypt lost 3–1. This eliminated Egypt, with South Africa winning their first title, and as hosts.

In the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations, in Burkina Faso, Egypt qualified for this tournament. Egypt were placed in Group D, with Mozambique, Zambia, and Morocco. In their first game, Egypt won Mozambique 2–0, with the two goals from Hossam Hassan. In the game against Zambia, Egypt again won 4–0, with the goals being a hat trick from Hassan and one from Radwan. In their third game however, Egypt lost against Morocco, 1–0, with the goal scored in the 90th minute from Mustapha Hadji. Despite this defeat, Egypt qualified to the quarter-finals, as runners-up of Group D, and they were to face against the Ivory Coast. In this game, Egypt won 5–4 in penalties, after a 0–0 draw. This made Egypt advance to the semi-finals since the 1986 tournament. In their semi-final, Egypt faced the hosts Burkina Faso, in which Egypt defeated Burkina Faso by a score of 2–0, with the goals scored from Hassan. This made Egypt go to the final since the 1986 tournament, the same tournament that was their last tournament as champions, to play against South Africa. In the final, Egypt were successful, winning 2–0, with a goal from Ahmed Hassan and a goal from Tarek Mostafa. Egypt won their fourth title since they won as hosts in the 1986 tournament.

For the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt entered as the defending champions. This tournament was in Ghana and Nigeria. They were in Group C with Senegal, Zambia, and Burkina Faso. In these three games, Egypt won the three of them. Their match against Zambia was a 2–0 victory, a 1–0 victory over Senegal, and a 4–2 win against Burkina Faso. With these three victories, Egypt were the group leaders and they advanced to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, they lost to Tunisia 0–1, the goal was scored by a penalty kick. Egypt were eliminated from the tournament, in which Cameroon won their third title.

In the 2002 African Cup of Nations, in Mali, Egypt qualified for this tournament. Egypt were placed in Group D with Senegal, Tunisia, and Zambia. In their opening match, Egypt lost 0–1 to Senegal. However, Egypt won their two remaining group stage games, with the scores of 1–0 against Tunisia and 2–1 against Zambia. Egypt advanced to the quarter-finals, as runners-up, with six points, to face Cameroon. In this game, being Cameroon vs. Egypt, in the quarter-finals, Egypt lost 1–0. This score eliminated Egypt. In this tournament, Cameroon won their fourth title, being the second title won consecutively.

Egypt qualified to the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, which was hosted in Tunisia. Egypt were placed in Group C with Algeria, Zimbabwe, and Cameroon. Egypt won 1–2 against Zimbabwe, lost 2–1 to Algeria, and drew 0–0 against Cameroon. Egypt failed to qualify for the quarter-finals due to that Algeria scored a goal more than Egypt, after leveling on points and goal difference. Tunisia, the hosts won their first title, beating Morocco in the final.

The 2006 Africa Cup of Nations was hosted in Egypt, making Egypt automatically qualified. They were in Group A with Libya, Morocco, and the Ivory Coast. In the opening match, Egypt defeated Libya 3–0. In the second game, Egypt drew 0–0 against Morocco. However, in the third game, Egypt won 3–1 against the Ivory Coast, thus making Egypt as the group leader and advancing to the next round, the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals phase, Egypt faced DR Congo, in which Egypt won 4–1, thus making Egypt advance to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Egypt faced Senegal. In this game, Egypt won Senegal 2–1, thus making Egypt qualify for the final to face the Ivory Coast, after playing against each other in the group stage. In the final match, Egypt drew 0–0 with the Ivory Coast, sending them to extra time, and still, the score remained 0–0. After extra time, the game was taking to the penalty shoot-out phase. In the penalty shoot-out phase, Egypt were victorious, winning 4–2 against the Ivory Coast, and claiming their fifth title, being the third title won as hosts, the last time Egypt won the tournament before this was in 1986.

In the 2008 African Nations Cup in Ghana, Egypt qualified for this tournament. In this tournament, Egypt were placed in Group C with Cameroon, Zambia, and Sudan. Egypt beat Cameroon 4–2, won against Libya by a score of 3–0, but drew 1–1 against Zambia. Egypt entered the quarter-finals as the group leader. In the quarter-final, Egypt faced and beat Angola 2–1. Then, Egypt advanced to the semi-finals to face the Ivory Coast. The last time they faced each other was in the 2006 final, in which Egypt won the game, claiming their fifth title. In the semi-finals, Egypt were victorious, beating Ivory Coast 1–4. Egypt advanced to the finals to face the Cameroonians. In this game, Egypt won 0–1 thanks to a goala goal from Mohamed Aboutrika, helping Egypt win their sixth title. This also marked Egypt winning two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations.

In the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, in Angola, Egypt qualified for the tournament. Egypt were in Group C with Nigeria, Benin, and Mozambique. Egypt won their three group stage games, thus advancing to the quarter-finals, to face Cameroon. In this match, Egypt won 3–1 after extra time, thus eliminating the Cameroonian team. In the semi-finals, they faced Algeria, in which Egypt won 4–0, making Egypt go to the final for the third consecutive time. In the final, Egypt faced Ghana. In this game, Egypt won 1–0 against Ghana, with the goal scorer being Gedo. This led Egypt to their seventh title, win their third consecutive cup, become the first nation to win three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations titles, becoming the most successful team in this tournament.

However, for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, even though Egypt were the defending champions, they failed to qualify.

They also failed to qualify for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

For the third consecutive time, Egypt failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, this time in Equatorial Guinea in 2015.

For the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, which is going to be hosted in Gabon, Egypt have to qualify to enter. Egypt were seeded into Group G with Nigeria, Tanzania, and Chad. In their first game, against Tanzania, Egypt won 3–0. This made Egypt joint group leader by goal difference with Nigeria, with both nations having won their first game. On 4 June 2016, in their qualifying away match against Tanzania, Egypt won 2–0 and managed to secure their berth in the 2017 edition of the championship. This marked Egypt's return to the competition after 7 years having missed out on the previous 3 editions.

In Gabon, Egypt registered a 0–0 draw against Mali in their first match in Group D. Successive 1–0 wins against Uganda and Ghana saw the Pharaohs qualify to the quarter-finals as group winners. Egypt faced Morocco at the quarter-final stage, and defeated their North Africa rivals for the first time in 31 years to set up a semi-final clash with Burkina Faso. 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 his team. Egypt then faced for the third time at this stage Cameroon, hoping for history to repeat itself for an 8th title. Egypt opened the score before break thanks to Arsenal's midfielder Elneny. However, Cameroon stepped up its game in the second half and Nicolas Nkoulou scored the equalizer before Vincent Aboubakar scored the second goal in the last minutes. For the second time in its history Egypt lost an AFCON final, and for the first time lost a final to their rival Cameroon.

Former managers

Source: Egyptian National Team Coaches

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Caps and goals as of 5 February 2017 consequent to the match against Cameroon.

Recent call-ups

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

Notes

^SUS Player suspended

^INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury

^PRE Preliminary squad / standby

^RET Retired from the national team

^WD Player withdrew from the squad for non-injury related reasons

Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

Matches in last 12 months, as well as any future scheduled matches.

Records

As of 5 February 2017. Players in bold are still active at international level.

In February 2017, Egypt set a new record, not being defeated for 24 consecutive African Cup of Nations matches, since their last match at the 2004 African Cup of Nations. Egypt also won their 9th consecutive match in the ACN, beating Ghana in the 2010 African Cup of Nations final match, and becoming the first team to win three consecutive ACN titles.

Subsequent to leading Egypt to its third consecutive ACN victory under his tenure, Egypt coach Hassan Shehata was offered the role of coaching the Nigeria national football team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. In February 2010, the EFA agreed to let Shehata take charge of Nigeria in 2010 World Cup only if official request was sent. Ultimately, Shehata did not take the position.

FIFA Confederations Cup

Egypt have appeared in two of the nine FIFA Confederations Cups contested, the team was eliminated on both times during the group stage. 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. During the second appearance, the team achieved their first win over Italy 1–0 in the second round of the group stage.

Olympic Games record

Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.

African Competitions

Africa Cup of Nations

Winners (7): 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010 (Most successful team) Runners-up (2): 1962, 2017 Third place (3): 1963, 1970, 1974 Fourth place (3): 1976, 1980, 1984

All-Africa Games

Champions (2): 01 ! 1987, 01 ! 1995 Third place (1): 03 ! 1973

Afro-Asian Cup of Nations

Runners-up (2): 02 ! 1988, 2007

Nile Basin Tournament

Champions (1): 01 ! 2011 (Most successful team)

Arabic Competitions

Pan Arabic Games

Champions (4): 01 ! 1953,01 ! 1965,01 ! 1992,01 ! 2007 (Most successful team) Runners-up (1): 02 ! 1961

Arab Cup of Nations

Champions (1): 01 ! 1992 Third Place (1): 03 ! 1988

Palestine Cup of Nations

Champions (2): 01 ! 1972,01 ! 1975 (Most successful team)

Mediterranean Games

Champions (1): 01 ! 1955 Silver Medalist (1): 02 ! 1951 Bronze Medalist (1): 03 ! 1983