This article delves into the history of the Egypt and Croatia national football teams, highlighting their achievements, key moments, and overall impact on international football.
Good afternoon to all VAVEL followers! Welcome to the broadcast of the match between Egypt vs Croatia, corresponding to the International match. In a few moments we will share with you the latest news in our coverage of the match between Egypt vs Croatia live, in addition to the most recent information emerging from the New Administrative Capital Stadium.
Egypt National Football Team
Egypt is Africa's oldest national football team and has won the Africa Cup of Nations a record seven times. The team has made three appearances in the FIFA World Cup and was the first-ever African and Middle Eastern team to make such an appearance. The first Egyptian national football team was constituted in 1920, the first African football team created to compete in the Summer Olympics in Belgium. The opening match of their campaign was a loss against the Italians.
Egypt has qualified for the FIFA World Cup three times: in 1934, in 1990 and 2018. Egypt was the first African country to qualify for the World Cup, beating Mandatory Palestine. In the qualification process for the 1938 World Cup, Egypt withdrew. They did not enter 1950 qualification. In 1954 qualifying, they faced Italy but failed to qualify.
Egypt first participated in the first Africa Cup of Nations tournament in 1957. In their first game, a semi-final, they faced Sudan, winning 2-1; Egypt won 4-0 in the final. They withdrew for the 1958, and one year later, Egypt were AFCON champions again. Egypt withdrew for the 1962, 1966 and 1970 World Cup tournaments. The country entered 1974 World Cup qualification, but did not qualify. They lost their first final in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1962. Their fourth AFCON appearance came in 1963 in Ghana. Egypt was placed in Group B with Sudan and Nigeria, defeating Nigeria 6-3, but drawing 2-2 against Sudan. Despite being undefeated in the group stage, they were ranked second, behind Sudan by goal difference.
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In the 1970 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted again in Sudan, Egypt were in Group B along with Ghana, Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as Congo-Kinshasa at the time. In their opening match, Egypt defeated Guinea 4-1 and drew Ghana 1-1, before defeating Congo-Kinshasa 1-0. Egypt topped the group, thus advancing to the next round, where they faced Sudan. Egypt eventually lost their first game in the AFCON by a score of 2-1, then in the third place match, won against Ivory Coast 3-1.
Egypt failed to qualify for the AFCON for the first time in 1972 after being eliminated by Morocco by an aggregate score of 5-3. However, Egypt returned for 1974, hosting the event, eventually finishing in third place. Two years later, in Ethiopia, they were in Group A with the hosts, Guinea, and Uganda. Egypt defeated Uganda 2-1, but drew against Uganda and Ethiopia. Egypt advanced to the final round, and lost all matches. This is the first Africa Cup of Nations tournament that Egypt lost three consecutive games.
Egypt reappeared for the 1980 African Cup of Nations, defeating Ivory Coast and Tanzania, but losing to hosts Nigeria 1-0. In 1986, Egypt hosted; they lost to Senegal 1-0. However, Egypt went on to win their two remaining games in the group stage, 2-0 against the Ivory Coast and Mozambique. Egypt advanced to the final for the first time since 1962, eventually winning.
Egypt qualified for the 1990 AFCON, losing all group stage matches, thus making Egypt fail to obtain at least one point for the first time in the Africa Cup of Nations, while appearing in the World Cup that same year. After beating Algeria 1-0 in the playoffs, they were drawn in Group F, with Ireland, England and the Netherlands. They scored only one goal in the tournament; a 1-1 draw with UEFA Euro 1988 champions Netherlands gave the Egyptians their first point in the World Cup.
The team lost both of their matches in the 1992 AFCON. In the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, Egypt defeated Gabon 4-0 and drew Nigeria 0-0. They lost to Mali 1-0 in the quarterfinals.
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Egypt won their fourth title in 1998, defeating South Africa in the final. Egypt qualified for the 2004 AFCON in Tunisia, and were placed in Group C with Algeria, Zimbabwe, and Cameroon. The 2006 Africa Cup of Nations was hosted in Egypt; the hosts were in Group A with Libya, Morocco, and the Ivory Coast.
On October 8, 2017, Egypt qualified for the 2018 World Cup after topping Group E over Uganda, Ghana and Congo. In the World Cup, Egypt was drawn with Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and the hosts, Russia in Group A. They started their first game against Uruguay, without Salah, who was injured in the UEFA Champions League final. Egypt lost 1-0, and goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy was voted man of the match. He refused the reward due to sponsorship by Budweiser.
Mohamed Salah
Salah returned to the starting lineup when Egypt faced hosts Russia. After being down 3-0, Salah scored Egypt's first World Cup goal in 28 years. Egypt's third and final match was a Red Sea derby against Saudi Arabia, also out of contention after two losses. Essam El Hadary became the oldest player in the World Cup at 45 years and 161 days.
In the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, hosts Egypt were knocked out by South Africa in the round of 16, despite three wins in the group stage. In the 2021 Africa Cup, Egypt advanced to the final after dire performances in the group stage and beating Ivory Coast on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Egypt then beat Cameroon 3-1 on penalties after a scoreless draw, to reach their 10th final, beating Ghana's record of final appearances.
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Egypt's home matches have been played at Cairo International Stadium since 1960.
Croatia National Football Team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in men's international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competition. The team's colours reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially known as the Vatreni (Blazers) and Kockasti (Checkered Ones).
Since 2000, the Vatreni have qualified for every major tournament except UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. At the World Cup, Croatia has finished second once (2018) and third on two occasions (1998, 2022), securing three World Cup medals. Davor Šuker won the Golden Shoe and the Silver Ball in 1998, while Luka Modrić won the Golden Ball in 2018 and the Bronze Ball in 2022.
The team has reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA European Championship twice (1996, 2008). They finished second in the UEFA Nations League in 2023.
Croatia began their qualification campaign for the 1998 World Cup with an aggregate victory against Ukraine in the two-legged playoff. In the group stage, Croatia beat both Jamaica and Japan, later losing to Argentina to advance with them to the knockout stage.
Croatia started their qualifying campaign for the 2002 World Cup with draws against Belgium and Scotland prompting Blažević's resignation as head coach in October 2000. His successor, Mirko Jozić, pushed the team through the rest of qualifiers undefeated.
Croatia renewed his contract in April 2008, before the qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup. Croatia won 3-0 against Kazakhstan, before enduring a 4-1 loss to England at Stadion Maksimir, their first home loss in 14 years. The team drew 0-0 with Ukraine and beat Andorra twice, drawing again with Ukraine and beating Belarus twice.
Croatia was a candidate to co-host Euro 2012 with Hungary which would have resulted in automatic qualification for both countries; UEFA ultimately selected Poland and Ukraine. The Croatians began their qualifying campaign for Euro 2012 with a 3-0 win over Latvia, a goalless draw with Greece, and a 2-1 win against Israel.
Succeeding Bilić, former player Igor Štimac was appointed manager. At the same time, Davor Šuker assumed the presidency of the Croatian Football Federation in 2012 after the death of Vlatko Marković. A year in, Štimac was replaced by former captain Niko Kovač. Kovač led the team to a 2-0 aggregate victory over Iceland in the qualifying playoffs for the 2014 World Cup with both goals coming in the home leg in Zagreb.
In the group stage, Croatia opened their campaign with a 3-1 loss to hosts Brazil.
The team topped their group for the qualifying campaign of Euro 2020, with a loss to Hungary, and draws against Azerbaijan and Wales. The 2020 finals were delayed to the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, winning only two out of eight games in 2020, Croatia achieved their worst-ever aggregate win-rate.
Croatia finished second in their Euros group, with a 1-0 loss to England, a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic and a 3-1 win over Scotland.
Luka Modrić
The team's image references the national colors of Croatia. Croatia's modern-day team jersey was created in 1990 by Miroslav Šutej, who also designed the current coat of arms of Croatia, which also features in the Croatian national flag. The away kits used by the team have for a period been all-blue, incorporating the red-and-white checkers as a trim. Croatia has used darker colored away kits such as the dark navy-and-black checkered design that featured prominently in the 2018 World Cup.
The team has developed an extensive fan base since the 1990s. Following their debut run at the 1998 World Cup, there was a rise in domestic and global attention for the side. Political scientist Alex J. Bellamy observed in 2003 that the national team became a symbol of statehood in Croatia after their independence through the cultural export of football.
The government's influence on team affairs eased substantially after the death of President Franjo Tuđman in 1999. The Croatian Football Federation endorses an official fan club for the team, known as Uvijek Vjerni ("Always Faithful"). A part of the team's support consists of fans of Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split, the two largest clubs in Croatia's top domestic football league, the Hrvatska nogometna liga (HNL). Both sets of fans-Bad Blue Boys from Zagreb and Torcida from Split-have been associated with hooliganism due to their ultra-style support.
Regional support for the team also comes from Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly from fans of domestic clubs Zrinjski Mostar and Široki Brijeg. The diaspora of Croatians across the United States, Canada, Australia, and South America contribute to the majority of the side's international support. It is customary among supporters to include an inscription of their city of origin onto the Croatian flag.
Fans also coordinate their vocal support and orchestrate chants during matches. The disruptive behaviour of supporters during matches, particularly those exhibiting ultra-style fandom, has complicated national team affairs. Hooliganism, rioting, vandalism, littering, violence, use of pyrotechnics and discriminatory political expression have led to sanctions both domestically and internationally.
To advance the team's charitable efforts, manager Slaven Bilić established the Vatreno Srce (Fiery Heart) Foundation in 2010. The primary cause of the foundation is helping children. As of 2012, the foundation made fifty donations of 1,200,000 HRK to various children's organizations. In December 2012, the foundation made 500,000 HRK on an auction of Niko Kranjčar's shirt and Lionel Messi's shirt that was signed by all FC Barcelona players. The auction was organised in the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel and attended by President of Croatia Ivo Josipović. In November 2018, the players gathered in The Westin Hotel in Zagreb to answer fans' phonecalls, the proceeds of which were donated to the Vatreno Srce Foundation.
The national team has played in thirteen stadiums around the country. The majority of Croatia's home matches take place at Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, the country's largest football stadium, which is also the home-ground of local football club Dinamo Zagreb.
Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb
Haiti vs Egypt Highlights | FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025
Match Updates
Compensation time is four minutes. Egypt puts pressure on the Croatian team to recover the ball. Croatia had the clearest! Egypt's counterattack ends in a shot that hits the post. Egypt overflows on the left wing and the play ends up interrupted after a foul by the Croatian player. Both fans are already in their seats chanting the name of their team. "A good test for us: we will do everything possible to win and win the tournament.
Egypt shocked Croatia at the start of the World Championship, improving their head-to-head record against the European side. It was a blistering start for Egypt as they strolled to a three-goal lead after seven minutes courtesy of Karim Hendawy and his two saves. During the time, Ali Zein was completely unstoppable for Croatia's 6-0 defence. Egypt retained their advantage as Croatia kept going with one-on-one misses and turnovers. The latter was reflected in shot efficiency.
Whatever side they chose, Croatia's idea fizzled out and Egypt kept on delivering nice shots. Croatia were determined to turn the tide following Marin Šipić's goal, but he was stooped in the next attack, not being able to close the gap to two. Egypt completely imposed their rhythm, which did not suit Croatia, who appeared tired and faltered. As the final whistle was approaching, Egypt saw every player from the squad on the court, including talented left back Hassan Kaddah, who scored for 30:21. This is one of the toughest defeats of Croatia at the World Championship or EHF EURO and they need to recover for the next match against the United States of America.
"Our defence was not good from the start. Egypt was being able to score way too easily, and without the defence, we didn't have goalkeepers either. When a team like Egypt makes a break, it is hard to make a comeback.
