"Qualifying for the World Cup won't be enough, and just participating won't cut it either." Mohamed Salah said that days after Egypt's 3-2 collapse against Argentina, and it tells you everything about where this team's head is at. Not satisfied. Not done.
The Pharaohs landed at Alamein International Airport on Friday to scenes Egypt hasn't witnessed for a generation — thousands of supporters with flags, banners reading "Egypt's men made us proud", and pictures of Salah printed and held aloft like something between a fan tribute and a political rally. The squad then boarded an open-top bus through New Alamein before a presidential reception with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi scheduled for Saturday.
All of this for a team that lost in the round of 16. But context matters.
What Egypt actually did at this World Cup
Before Friday, Egypt had never won a World Cup match. They fixed that in North America, beating New Zealand in the group stage and then eliminating Australia on penalties in the round of 32. Two wins. A last-16 berth. The country's best performance in the tournament's history.
The Argentina defeat was painful in the particular way only late collapses can be — Egypt led 2-0 going into the final 11 minutes, then conceded three. Three. In eleven minutes. To Messi's side. It will sting for years, and it should. That's the kind of result that defines a generation either by what they let slip or by what they build next.
Coach Hossam Hassan, 59, has already been rewarded. The Egyptian Football Association renewed his contract — and that of his twin brother Ibrahim Hassan — through 2030, according to local media. Since taking charge in 2024, Hassan has led Egypt to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals, ended an eight-year World Cup absence, and compiled a record of 20 wins, nine draws and six defeats. That's not a soft rebuild. That's a proper turnaround.
Salah and the weight of expectation
Hassan also carried a Palestinian flag onto the pitch during the tournament and voiced support for Palestinian rights at press conferences — a detail that resonated deeply with supporters, several of whom showed up to the airport carrying his image draped in a Palestinian flag.
Salah's post-tournament message on X was measured, almost quietly forceful. He acknowledged the hurt of the Argentina exit, then reframed the entire campaign as a launchpad rather than a destination. For anyone watching Egypt's next qualifying cycle — or pricing up their chances at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations — that mentality shift matters more than the result in North America.
Egypt reached the last 16. Salah has already told you that's the floor, not the ceiling.
