As Egypt entered the World Cup round of 16, football fans across the country are exhilarated, expecting a bigger breakthrough from their national team.
by Mahmoud Fouly
CAIRO, July 4 (Xinhua) -- At a fan zone in Egypt's New Administrative Capital east of Cairo on Friday night, the final whistle was almost drowned out by the roar of football fans who jumped from their seats, waved flags and embraced one another as their national team sealed a place in the ongoing World Cup round of 16.
Egypt beat Australia 4-2 on penalties in a tense round of 32 match in Dallas that ended 1-1 after extra time. Emam Ashour gave Egypt the lead in the first half, but Australia drew level in the second half through an own goal by Mohamed Hany, forcing the match into extra time and then a shootout.
Across Egypt, from public viewing areas to packed cafes in Cairo, Giza and other governorates, the victory over Australia turned a match night into a national celebration, with fans describing the moment as "historic."
"It is a beautiful feeling, a joyful experience that has never happened before," said Mostafa Diab, an accountant who watched the match at the fan zone.
"My joy with the qualification and with this honorable success is great. I hope we will achieve a strong position in this tournament and go as far as possible," he told Xinhua.
Diab also praised Egypt coach Hossam Hassan, saying his long football career and experience made him well suited to lead the national team. "When a national coach is given a chance, he can be better than a foreign coach," he said.
Egypt reached the knockout stage after finishing second in Group G behind Belgium, capping its group campaign with a 3-1 victory over New Zealand, which marked its first-ever win at the World Cup.
The achievement carried special weight for a country with a long footballing tradition but a modest World Cup record. Egypt had previously appeared in the tournament in 1934, 1990 and 2018, but had never won a match before 2026.
Egypt returned in 1990, drawing with the Netherlands and Ireland before losing to England, and then waited another 28 years before appearing again in 2018, when it lost all three group matches to Uruguay, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
For Egyptian football analyst Ayman Younes, the victory was built on determination, composure and coach Hassan's second-half changes.
"Composure, the beautiful spirit and the determination to win made the result," Younes said. "The match was going back and forth, but Hassan managed it successfully and his substitutions changed the course of the game."
"This victory raises our hope to reach the quarterfinals," he said, adding that Egypt should look to overcome its next opponent.
At a coffee shop in Giza, Ali Sayyid, an employee at a pharmaceutical company, said he had never experienced such a feeling while watching Egypt at the World Cup.
"For the first time, I felt that the Egyptian team was so strong and its performance was 100 percent," he said.
Sayyid added that the closing minutes and the penalty shootout were tense, but the tension quickly turned into relief and joy after Australia missed its first penalty.
"In the end, it was a great joy," he said.
For Sayyid, Hassan was "the key" behind the achievement for creating a strong team spirit among the players.
"He made a very successful lineup and successful changes," he said.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi congratulated the national team on "this historic achievement," referring to the players as "the heroes of our national football team."
"You have proven that faith in ability, competing with the true team spirit, and showing unwavering determination to win lead to great achievements," the Egyptian president said in a statement, wishing the team success in the coming matches.
As celebrations continued late into the night, many Egyptian fans were already looking ahead, hoping that the team that gave them a long-awaited World Cup breakthrough could extend the dream even further. ■
