CAIRO (AP) — A small coffee house in Cairo Cairo It turned into a small stadium on Tuesday.
Before the kickoff whistle, several hundred people, mostly men and seven-year-old boys, gathered around a wall-mounted screen.
When Egypt faced the defending World Cup champions in the Round of 16 in Atlanta, the spectacle spread throughout the soccer-mad nation.
Even after the national team’s adventure came to an end, it was a historic day for millions of Egyptians. We lost 2-3 against Argentina on Tuesday..
“This is a cruel scenario,” teacher Ahmed Saadani said after the match. “The journey shouldn’t have ended the way it did.”
with our stars mohamed salahEgypt advances to the last 16 Defeated Australia 4-2 in penalty shootout After a 1-1 draw in the round of 32 on Friday.
The Pharaohs secured second place behind Belgium in Group G and advanced to the finals for the first time in their history.
Preparations for the match began ahead of kickoff at 7pm local time. Rows of plastic and wooden chairs faced wall-mounted television screens as fans crowded into hundreds of thousands of coffee houses and fan zones across Egypt.
Vendors could be seen selling Egyptian flags, whistles, fan goods and other items in preparation for the match in the squares and main streets.
Egyptian flags could be seen flying on cars and balconies throughout the day, and for several days discussions were held on television and in public places such as coffee houses and markets, centering on the national team’s performance and the expected match against Argentina.
“Overall, the performance was great,” Hassan Shehata said, sitting in a packed coffee house in Cairo ahead of Tuesday’s match. “We’re a work in progress. We play and we compete.”
4th in Egypt world cup During this time, it proved difficult to beat the most populous Arab country, which won seven trophies at the African Cup of Nations.
In the 2026 final, Egypt delivered their best performance in history. The Pharaohs defeated New Zealand 3-1, breaking the curse of never winning a World Cup and advancing to the finals for the first time.
“It was a dream,” said Rami Said, a 23-year-old university student. “(Coach) Hossam Hassan and his team exceeded our expectations.”
In a packed coffee house in Giza, many people could be seen wearing or waving Egyptian flags and chanting “Masr, Masr, Masr!” — Arabic name for Egypt, or some people play drums.
The coffee house shook when Egypt scored and when the Pharaohs’ goalkeeper saved Messi’s penalty. When Argentina scored the goal, the venue was silent.
Although fans were disappointed in Tuesday’s loss, they were proud of the team’s historic performance.
After the final whistle, 13-year-old Haitham Raafat burst into tears, saying, “It’s not fair.” “The referee was not fair.”
President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi He praised the team’s “unprecedented feat in the history of Egyptian football.”
“Thank you to the heroes of the national soccer team,” he wrote in a social media post. “We are proud of you and your accomplishments.”
Shaban Youssef, a 45-year-old mechanical engineer, also said he was proud of the team, saying: “They respected us a lot, especially Hossam Hassan’s support for the Palestinian people.”
Egyptian national team coach Hassan used the World Cup platform to express his support for the Palestinian people in an impassioned monologue at the pre-match press conference.
Asked how he felt when he wrapped the Palestinian flag around himself after Egypt’s victory over Australia in the final round, Hassan took more than four minutes to answer to the applause of the assembled media.
“If there is anyone in the world who does not sympathize with the Palestinians, whether he is an Arab, European or American, he is not a human being,” he said.
Hassan’s comments were praised by many Egyptians, who expressed support for both Hassan and the Palestinians on social media.
“Regardless of the outcome,” noted novelist Ezzat El Kamhawy wrote in a Facebook post ahead of Tuesday’s game. “Our team will play tonight, but thanks to Hossam Hassan’s goal against Zionism, the championship is already in their pocket.”
During Egypt’s World Cup match, hundreds of war-weary Palestinians crowded around a television screen in a makeshift shelter in the war-torn Gaza Strip to cheer on the pharaoh. They gathered between shelters, singing Egyptian patriotic songs in the background, clapping and waving Egyptian flags.
“It is our duty to support Egypt,” Palestinian youth Soliman Salem said in a telephone interview from a shelter in Gaza after Tuesday’s match. “We are very sad but proud of the Egyptian people.”
Abdelrahman Baroud, also a resident of the Gaza Strip, said he had hoped Egypt would advance to the next round, but “luck wasn’t on our side in the second half.”
“We all went home disappointed,” he said.
