Reigning CAF Champions League holders Pyramids FC cruised to the next round of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2025™ after defeating Auckland City 3-0 in the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup Play-off. Walid El Karti scored the opener, with Marwan Hamdy and Mostafa Ziko following up to secure their side’s place in the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup.
The Egyptian giants, who were making their debut appearance in a FIFA tournament, dominated from the kick-off to the final whistle, and just how much the win meant was clear from the celebrations of both the players and their coach, Krunoslav Jurcic.
“It feels great to get the win because this is our first-ever FIFA tournament,” defender Osama Galal told FIFA at full-time. “We’re hoping to go all the way.”
Meanwhile, team-mate Mohamed Chibi praised the side’s work rate. “I’m grateful for the whole team’s performance,” he stated. “We all knew how important this match was. We started strongly and got the opener, which set us up nicely, before scoring twice more in the second half and securing the win. Hopefully, we can carry this success into our next match.”
The Pyramids stars know that they still have a lot of work to do and the next round is likely to provide a sterner test as they take on Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia, who boast a star-studded squad featuring the likes of Franck Kessie, Riyad Mahrez and Edouard Mendy.
“Our next match is going to be tough because we’re up against a great team with a lot of history, but we’ll be ready and, hopefully, we’ll get the win,” Karim Hafez said. “We’ve been taking things one step at a time. First, we won the Egypt Cup, then the CAF Champions League, and now we’re aiming to win the African-Asian-Pacific Cup, so hopefully our success will continue.”
While Hafez was keen to highlight the scale of the challenge ahead, Galal was confident in his side’s ability, stressing that results are only ever determined on the pitch.
“I believe we’re capable of beating Al Ahli,” he said confidently. “In football, it’s not about one team being stronger or weaker on paper; the winner is decided by performance on the pitch. We’re going to give our all to win.”
“We have full confidence in each other because we know we’ve got excellent, experienced players in this squad,” Chibi continued. “We know the match against Al Ahli will be a tough one, but, God willing, we’ll put in a strong team performance to get the win. We’ve given everything to come this far because we know how important this tournament is, and we want to make history by winning the [African-Asian-Pacific Cup] title.”
While all eyes are on their clash with Al Ahli, the Pyramids players know reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain await whichever side reaches the final. There are still two rounds to go to reach that stage, but a chance to go toe-to-toe with one of the greatest sides in world football isn’t lost on their squad.
“The prospect of facing Paris Saint-Germain in the final really drives us on because they’re a top side with an exceptional squad, and it’s everyone’s ambition to play in such big matches,” Chibi continued. “That being said, our most important task now is to focus on getting the win in our match against Al Ahli.”
Galal echoed his team-mate’s thoughts. “The chance to play against Paris Saint-Germain in the final gives us an added incentive, but we have to take things one step at a time, focus on the next match and then hope to reach the final.”
