Egypt have missed out on heading to the Qatar 2022 World Cup thanks to another hard defeat against Senegal. After losing on penalties to Senegal in the 2021 AFCON, Egypt were once again defeated on penalties in their final qualifier, missing out on the chance to play in this winter’s World Cup. The players will be sitting at home instead of playing in the most prestigious football tournament, and fans will have to make do with playing at https://rabona.com/ar/games.
Since Egypt failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, they’ve replaced their head coach twice with Rui Vitoria. The former Benfica coach has excellent qualifications, and he takes over from Ehab Galal. Vitoria will have his work cut out for him, as Egypt are currently bottom of their qualifying group for AFCON 2023.
Can Egypt Still Qualify for AFCON 2023?
The Pharaohs, who have won the African Cup of Nations a record seven times, were drawn in the qualifying round alongside Guinea, Malawi, and Ethiopia. This year, only the top two teams will progress to the main tournament, making it much more challenging to qualify. At the Nations Cup earlier this year in Cameroon, Guinea and Malawi both advanced to the round of 16, while Ethiopia lost in the group stage.
Egypt are currently bottom of their qualifying group for AFCON 2023, but there is still a lot of hope for them to qualify. So far, only two games have been played. Although they won their opening game against Guinea, they lost in a shock 2-0 defeat to Ethiopia, which also coach Ehab Galal sacked after only being in charge for a short time. As only two games have been played, there’s plenty of chance that they can still qualify for 2023’s tournament, which will be hosted by Ivory Coast.
Still, a lot of changes will be needed, and Egyptian football fans will be hoping that Rui Vitoria is the right man for the job. As a manager, he had the most success in Portugal, helping Benfica win multiple titles, including the Portuguese Primeira Liga. He becomes the second Portuguese head coach that Egypt have employed, after Carlos Quieroz, who was relieved of his duties following their AFCON defeat.
Is There Hope for the Future of Egypt’s National Team?
Egypt have always been one of the strongest teams in Africa, although some fans might feel they’ve wasted a lot of talented players in recent years. With the likes of Mohammed Salah leading the line, many feel like Egypt should be winning the AFCON most years and at least managing to qualify for the World Cup. The last two performances against Senegal will haunt many of the players forever, but it can also help inspire positive change.
While they won’t be going to this year’s World Cup, they have the opportunity to play several friendlies, giving fans something to cheer about and enjoy. In addition, it will be a chance for Rui Vitoria to get to know his new team and find out which tactics and players work best. With Vitoria, Egypt certainly have a very successful coach who is more than capable of getting the best out of the players.
2022 was highly disappointing for the Pharaohs, but not all hope is lost. Salah has long been the team’s talisman, and although he’ll be nearing the end of his career by the time the next World Cup rolls around, he’s also helping to inspire the next generation of talented Egyptian footballers. The record-breaking Premier League star isn’t just a football icon but is involved in lots of charitable projects within his home country.
