Egypt's national team is set to receive a presidential reception upon its return from the United States following its historic participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in recognition of the team's level of performance throughout the tournament, according to Khaled Al Darandali, vice president of the Egyptian Football Association.
Al Darandali confirmed during televised remarks that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will meet the Pharaohs' players after their return from the United States, in appreciation of what the team achieved during the tournament.
The announcement came hours after President El-Sisi addressed the squad following the end of their World Cup journey, praising the team's performance against Argentina in the round of 16, despite a 3-2 defeat in a match that saw Egypt lead by two goals before the defending champions turned the result around in the final minutes.
President El-Sisi wrote on his official account on the X platform: "Thank you to the heroes of the national football team for their honourable performance and for achieving an unprecedented feat in the history of Egyptian football," adding: "We are proud of you and your achievement, and the future holds even better for you, God willing."
Egypt achieved their best-ever World Cup performance, advancing beyond the group stage for the first time before reaching the round of 16, where they put up a strong fight against Argentina before their tournament journey came to an end.
Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring for the Pharaohs in the 15th minute, while Lionel Messi missed a penalty in the 21st minute, before a goal by Mustafa "Zizo" was disallowed in the second half following a VAR review. The same player then scored a second goal in the 67th minute with an assist from Haitham Hassan.
Cristian Romero pulled one back for Argentina in the 79th minute, before Messi equalised in the 83rd minute, and Enzo Fernández then snatched the winner in the 2nd minute of stoppage time to send his country through to the quarter-finals.