Hossam Hassan, head coach of the Egyptian national team, will continue to lead the 'Pharaohs' until the 2026 World Cup finals, scheduled to be held this summer in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This follows his successful guidance of the national team to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, currently being held in Morocco, after a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Ivory Coast two days ago. The confidence in the Egyptian coach is renewed automatically, in accordance with the terms of the contract signed between him and the Football Association, which stipulates that his contract will be extended if the team reaches at least the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, a condition that was officially met after the victory over the 'Elephants'. This achievement marks a significant turning point in Hossam Hassan's tenure with the national team, especially amidst the widespread criticism he faced before the continental tournament from the football community, analysts, and critics due to a decline in technical performance in some previous matches, as well as recurring media controversies related to his statements and conflicts with several key players, including Mohamed Salah, Ahmed Hegazi, Imam Ashour, and Mostafa Mohamed. Reaching the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations finals was not enough, in the view of critics of the national coach (60 years old), to quell the attacks on him, as voices rose calling for the hiring of a foreign coach to lead the team in the next stage. The name of Carlos Queiroz, the current head coach of the Oman national team, was circulated as a potential successor to Hossam Hassan before the results on the field at the Africa Cup of Nations temporarily settled the debate in favor of the Egyptian coach. Since taking the helm in February 2024, Hossam Hassan has led the Egyptian national team in 24 official and friendly matches, maintaining a record without defeats in official games, suffering only two losses at the friendly level against Croatia and Uzbekistan, and achieving 16 wins with six draws. During these matches, the Egyptian team scored 39 goals while conceding 16, an indicator that reflects a gradual improvement on both offensive and defensive fronts compared to previous periods. This marks the return of the national coach to the continental stage after a 16-year absence since the departure of veteran coach Hassan Shehata, who led the Egyptian national team to a historic achievement by winning three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2006, 2008, and 2010, a feat still present in the memory of African football. Despite Egypt reaching the finals of the 2017 and 2021 editions under the leadership of Hector Cuper and then Carlos Queiroz, the title remained elusive for the 'Pharaohs' after losing to Cameroon and Senegal, respectively. Hossam Hassan hopes to write his name in golden letters in the history of Egyptian football by winning the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and a coach, following in the footsteps of his late countryman Mahmoud El-Gohary, who won the title as a player in 1959 before leading Egypt to its fourth title in 1998 as a coach, as well as Nigerian Stephen Keshi, who won the title as a player in 1994 and then as a coach in 2013. The Egyptian national team is preparing for a tough confrontation against Senegal in the semi-final at 9 PM UAE time on Wednesday. This match carries a vengeful character for the 'Pharaohs', seeking to avenge themselves against the 'Lions of Teranga', who defeated them in the final of the previous edition of the Africa Cup of Nations and also eliminated them from the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup. • The Egyptian national team scored 39 goals under Hossam Hassan's leadership, while conceding 16, a positive offensive and defensive indicator.
