Many agree that Mohamed Salah is the greatest icon of modern Egyptian football, and perhaps the finest player in the nation’s history. A global superstar, a Premier League legend and one of the most successful footballers of the past decade, Salah has broken records, won almost every major club honour and carried Egypt’s name onto the biggest stages in European football.
Yet despite a glittering club career filled with trophies and individual awards in England and across Europe, Salah’s relationship with silverware at international level remains incomplete. While Egypt are Africa’s most successful nation with seven continental titles, Salah has never lifted the Africa Cup of Nations trophy.
The forward has come agonisingly close, reaching the final twice: first in Gabon in 2017, where Egypt were beaten 2-1 by Cameroon, and again in the 2021 edition, where they lost to Senegal on penalties. In the most recent tournament in Morocco, Salah and Egypt once again succumbed to Senegal, this time in the semi-finals.
History, however, is not written from a single angle. For Egyptians, the FIFA World Cup™ remains a lingering source of frustration. Despite their dominance on the African continent, Egypt have never registered a single victory at the World Cup across their three appearances in 1934, 1990 and 2018.
For that very reason, the narrative could shift dramatically this year in North America. If Salah were to guide Egypt to a memorable run at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ – even without lifting the trophy – his place in the nation’s collective memory would be fundamentally reshaped.
Egypt’s record at the FIFA World Cup has been modest, as the national team have struggled to translate their continental success onto the global stage. Across three appearances, Egypt have played seven matches, losing five and drawing two.
The story began at Italy 1934, where Egypt played one match under a knockout format and were beaten 4-2 by Hungary. After a 56-year absence, Egypt returned at Italia ‘90, producing a disciplined defensive display that earned historic draws against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland, before a narrow 1-0 defeat to England. Egypt exited at the group stage with pride intact, but still without a victory.
The most recent appearance, at Russia 2018, proved the most painful for Egyptian supporters. Despite enormous expectations surrounding Salah, Egypt suffered three consecutive defeats against Uruguay, Russia and Saudi Arabia. Even so, and despite a shoulder injury sustained in the 2018 UEFA Champions League final that affected his physical readiness, Salah still made history by scoring Egypt’s only two goals of the tournament, against hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Egypt completed their African qualifying campaign in impressive fashion, sealing qualification for World Cup 2026 after finishing top of Group A with 26 points. The final draw placed the Pharaohs in Group G, alongside Belgium, IR Iran and New Zealand.
“We will give everything to perform at our best and achieve results that reflect our ambitions,” said midfielder Marwan Attia in an interview with FIFA, about the challenge of facing Belgium, IR Iran and New Zealand. There is no doubt that the opportunity looks promising for Egypt to make history in this edition, particularly with the expanded format and increased competitiveness of the tournament.
Egyptian hopes in 2026 are built around an experienced generation, led by Salah, who is seeking to conclude his international journey with an achievement worthy of his legendary success with Liverpool.
With the backing of passionate support, Egyptians dream of North America’s stadiums bearing witness to a long-awaited “Egyptian miracle”. A single victory, progression from the group stage or an unprecedented World Cup run could carry symbolic value surpassing even that of an additional continental title.
At that point, Salah’s story with the national team would no longer be one of what was missing or unfulfilled, but the tale of a player who carried the dream of an entire nation – and finally succeeded in writing the chapter that had been awaited for so long.
