Thousands of jubilant supporters lined the streets on Friday to welcome Egypt‘s national team home following their historic FIFA 2026 World Cup campaign, despite the Pharaohs’ heartbreaking Round of 16 exit to defending champions Argentina.
A sea of fans dressed in Egypt’s red, white and black colours gathered outside El-Alamein International Airport before the players boarded an open-top bus for a victory parade through the coastal city.
The warm reception came after Egypt produced their best-ever World Cup performance, reaching the knockout stages for the first time in the nation’s history and capturing the admiration of football fans across Africa and beyond.
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“We are very happy with the team,” supporter Mohamed Gehad told AFP after travelling to the airport to greet the squad.
“Their spirit was high, and ours is high as we welcome them.”
Supporters waved Egyptian flags alongside Palestinian flags in solidarity with Gaza, while others displayed posters of head coach Hossam Hassan, who had draped both flags over himself during the tournament.
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Egypt made history by recording their first-ever FIFA World Cup victory before advancing to the Round of 16 after defeating Australia in a penalty shootout.
The Pharaohs came agonisingly close to producing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament against Argentina. They raced into a 2-0 lead before the defending champions staged a dramatic late comeback to snatch a 3-2 victory and book their place in the quarter-finals.
Despite the painful defeat, the atmosphere at the homecoming remained festive. Fans danced to the beat of drums, sang patriotic songs and proudly wore jerseys bearing the name of captain Mohamed Salah. Many also held banners reading, “You made us proud, men.”
“They reached a stage they had never reached before, and we are proud of them,” supporter Eyad Ahmed said.
As the team’s bus departed the airport, thousands of supporters ran alongside it, waving flags and chanting until it disappeared.
Salah later thanked supporters in a message on social media, promising to build on the team’s historic achievement.
“I’ll do everything in my power to ensure this is a new beginning for Egyptian football on the international stage,” the captain wrote.
The players are expected to be received by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who praised the team’s “honourable performance” and congratulated them on their landmark World Cup run.
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