The Egyptian national football team boasts a rich and storied history, marked by numerous achievements and a significant presence on the African and global stage. As Africa's oldest national football team, Egypt has established itself as a dominant force, holding a record seven Africa Cup of Nations titles. The team has also made three appearances in the FIFA World Cup, making history as the first African and Middle Eastern team to achieve this feat.
This article delves into the historical clashes between Egypt and Zambia, highlighting key moments and milestones in their footballing relationship.
Early Years and Africa Cup of Nations
The first Egyptian national football team was established in 1920, becoming the first African team to compete in the Summer Olympics in Belgium. The opening match of their campaign resulted in a loss against Italy.
Egypt first participated in the 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. 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. 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. Egypt won their fourth title in 1998, defeating South Africa in the final.
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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.
FIFA World Cup Appearances
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.
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.
On 8 October 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. 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.
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Salah-inspired Egypt can seal World Cup slot by beating Burkina FasoLiverpool star Mohamed Salah could this week become the second African football icon after Achraf Hakimi to ensure his presence at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Egypt withdrew for the 1962, 1966 and 1970 World Cup tournaments. The country entered 1974 World Cup qualification, but did not qualify.
Recent History
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.
Egypt never lost to Zambia in their past 6 meetings.
Egypt's home matches have been played at Cairo International Stadium since 1960.
Former Benfica coach Rui Vitoria takes over Egypt national teamEgypt has named Rui Vitoria, formerly of Portugal's Benfica, as the coach for its national team after Ehab Galal was sacked, according to a statement on Tuesday.
Indonesia vs Zambia Highlights | FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025
Match History and Results
To provide a clearer picture of the Egypt-Zambia rivalry, here's a table summarizing their past encounters:
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| (Hypothetical) | Friendly | Egypt 2 - 1 Zambia |
| (Hypothetical) | AFCON Qualifier | Egypt 1 - 0 Zambia |
| (Hypothetical) | World Cup Qualifier | Zambia 0 - 0 Egypt |
Note: This table contains hypothetical data for illustrative purposes, as the provided text does not include specific match results between Egypt and Zambia.
