Hundreds give hero’s welcome to Egypt after best World Cup run
Egypt's national football team received a hero's welcome from hundreds of fans after their best-ever World Cup performance, which ended with a dramatic last-16 loss to Argentina.
Hundreds of euphoric supporters welcomed home Egypt’s national football team on Friday after the country’s best performance at a World Cup, which ended with a thrilling last-16 exit to Argentina. A sea of fans dressed in red, white and black filled the grounds outside the airport in el-Alamein, where the Pharaohs boarded an open-top bus for a parade through the coastal city.
Supporters waved Egyptian and Palestinian flags in support of Gaza, as well as a poster of coach Hossam Hassan draping both flags over himself during the tournament. “We are very happy with the team,” supporter Mohamed Gehad told AFP. “Their spirit was high, and ours is high as we welcome them.”
Egypt achieved their first World Cup win at the 2026 edition and later reached the last 16 for the first time after a penalty shootout victory against Australia. They were painstakingly close to pulling off one of the tournament’s great upsets against Argentina, leading 2-0 with minutes left before the defending champions staged an astonishing 3-2 comeback. But fans remained in high spirits, dancing to drums, singing patriotic songs, and wearing shirts bearing the name of captain Mohamed Salah.
Others held handwritten banners reading: “You made us proud, men.” “They reached a stage they had never reached before, and we are proud of them,” another fan, Eyad Ahmed, told AFP. The team is expected to meet President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Saturday, who thanked them on social media for their “honourable performance.”
The Egyptian Football Association has also lodged a complaint against the officiating from Tuesday’s match, with Hassan accusing officials of injustice, despite FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina rejecting what he called “unfounded allegations.”
Hassan drew praise in Gaza after waving a Palestinian flag on the pitch following the victory over Australia and dedicating the win to the Palestinian people. At his pre-match news conference on Monday, he said the suffering of the Palestinian people was a “shame on the world” and called on football to do more.
During the tournament, thousands of Palestinians gathered in makeshift cafes set up inside tents or built from salvaged corrugated metal to watch Egypt’s matches. On Wednesday, Palestinians in Gaza turned out in large numbers to pay respects to a senior member of Egypt’s main aid organization, who had set up World Cup screenings in the shattered enclave and was killed by an Israeli air strike on a taxi he was in this week. The strike killed Mohammed al-Wahidi, himself a Palestinian, along with three others, including two young passers-by, siblings aged 10 and eight, medics said.
