Egypt have qualified for the FIFA World Cup on four occasions, in 1934, 1990, 2018, and 2026. With 2 draws and 5 losses, Egypt has never won a match in the World Cup finals. In 1934 Egypt became the first Arab and African team to play in the World Cup.
When they qualified again in 1990, they became the team with the longest-ever gap between two FIFA World Cup matches: 56 years and 16 days had passed. This was surpassed in 2022 by the qualification of Wales for the first time in 64 years.
The tournament consists of two parts, the qualification phase and the final phase (officially called the World Cup Finals). The qualification phase, which currently take place over the three years preceding the finals, is used to determine which teams qualify for the finals.
The current format of the finals involves 48 teams competing for the title, at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. The World Cup final is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final.
FIFA World Cup record
| FIFA World Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1930 | Withdrew due to storm | |||||||
| 1934 | Round of 16 | 13th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1938 | Withdrew | |||||||
| 1950 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 1954 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 1958 | Withdrew | |||||||
| 1962 | ||||||||
| 1966 | ||||||||
| 1970 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 1974 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 1978 | ||||||||
| 1982 | ||||||||
| 1986 | ||||||||
| 1990 | Group stage | 20th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1994 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 1998 | ||||||||
| 2002 | ||||||||
| 2006 | ||||||||
| 2010 | ||||||||
| 2014 | ||||||||
| 2018 | Group stage | 31st | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 2022 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2026 | Qualified | |||||||
| 2030 | To be determined | |||||||
| 2034 | ||||||||
| Total | Round of 16 | 3/22 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 12 |
Overview of matches
| No. | Date | Type | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 May 1934 | First round | Hungary | 2-4 |
| 2 | 12 June 1990 | Group stage | Netherlands | 1–1 |
| 3 | 17 June 1990 | Group stage | Republic of Ireland | 0-0 |
| 4 | 21 June 1990 | Group stage | England | 0–1 |
| 5 | 15 June 2018 | Group stage | Uruguay | 0–1 |
| 6 | 19 June 2018 | Group stage | Russia | 1-3 |
| 7 | 25 June 2018 | Group stage | Saudi Arabia | 1–2 |
Uruguay 1930
Egypt wasn't able to attend the world cup because its selection lost the connection to the ship that was traveling to South America due to a storm that delayed their boat to Marseille.
Italy 1934
First round
| Hungary | 4–2 | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Teleki 11' Toldi 27', 61' Vincze 53' | Report | Fawzi 31', 39' |
Hungary | Egypt |
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Italy 1990
Group stage
Group F
Group F, featured the Netherlands, England, the Republic of Ireland and Egypt. In the six group games, no team managed to score more than once in a match. England beat Egypt 1–0, thanks to a 58th-minute goal from Mark Wright – and that was enough to win the group.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
| Republic of Ireland | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Egypt | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 2 |
The Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands finished with identical records. With both teams assured of progressing, they were split by the drawing of lots to determine second and third place. ---
| Netherlands | 1–1 | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Kieft 58' | Report | Abdelghani 83' (pen.) |
Netherlands | Egypt |
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| Assistant referees: |
| Republic of Ireland | 0–0 | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Republic of Ireland | Egypt |
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| Assistant referees: |
| England | 1–0 | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Wright 58' | Report |
England | Egypt |
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| Assistant referees: |
Russia 2018
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uruguay | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Russia (H) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 6 | |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 3 | |
| 4 | Egypt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
| Egypt | 0–1 | Uruguay |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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Egypt | Uruguay |
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| Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Russia vs Egypt
| Russia | 3–1 | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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Russia | Egypt |
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| Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Saudi Arabia vs Egypt
| Saudi Arabia | 2–1 | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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Saudi Arabia | Egypt |
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| Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Record players
Due to the long time spans between Egypt's World Cup participations, no player was able to play more than one tournament. 22 players share the record for most World Cup appearances for Egypt: Ten players from the 1990 FIFA World Cup, among them twin brothers Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan, and twelve players from 2018. The team of 1934 was only able to play one match because of a different tournament format.
An Egyptian player with a notable record is goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary. On 25 June 2018, he became the oldest player ever to appear in a World Cup match with 45 years and 5 months. He saved a penalty in the first half of the match against Saudi Arabia, but ultimately Egypt lost 1–2.
| Rank | Player | Matches | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magdi Abdelghani | 3 | 1990 |
| Gamal Abdelhamid | 3 | 1990 | |
| Ahmed El-Kass | 3 | 1990 | |
| Hossam Hassan | 3 | 1990 | |
| Ibrahim Hassan | 3 | 1990 | |
| Hany Ramzy | 3 | 1990 | |
| Ahmed Shobair | 3 | 1990 | |
| Hesham Yakan | 3 | 1990 | |
| Rabie Yassin | 3 | 1990 | |
| Ismail Youssef | 3 | 1990 | |
| Mohamed Abdel Shafy | 3 | 2018 | |
| Mohamed Elneny | 3 | 2018 | |
| Ahmed Fathy | 3 | 2018 | |
| Ali Gabr | 3 | 2018 | |
| Tarek Hamed | 3 | 2018 | |
| Ahmed Hegazi | 3 | 2018 | |
| Kahraba | 3 | 2018 | |
| Marwan Mohsen | 3 | 2018 | |
| Abdallah Said | 3 | 2018 | |
| Ramadan Sobhi | 3 | 2018 | |
| Trézéguet | 3 | 2018 | |
| Amr Warda | 3 | 2018 |
Top goalscorers
Scoring twice at Egypt's first-ever World Cup match, their 2–4 defeat against Hungary, made Abdulrahman Fawzi the only African goalscorer at a FIFA World Cup finals for decades. It took 84 years for another Egyptian, Mohamed Salah, to equal his tally.
| Rank | Player | Goals | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abdulrahman Fawzi | 2 | 1934 |
| Mohamed Salah | 2 | 2018 | |
| 3 | Magdi Abdelghani | 1 | 1990 |
World Cup qualifications record
| FIFA World Cup qualifications record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Status | Participation | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| Uruguay 1930 | Did Not Enter "didn't accept FIFA's invitation" | |||||||
| Italy 1934 | Qualified to the Round of 16 | 1st | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| 1938 | Withdrew "refused to play against Romania due to financial matters" | |||||||
| Brazil 1950 | Did Not Enter | |||||||
| Switzerland 1954 | Did not qualify | 3rd | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Sweden 1958 | Withdrew "declined to meet Sudan in refusal to Israel Participation" | |||||||
| Chile 1962 | Withdrew As United Arab Republic after as FIFA would not allow them to rearrange matches to avoid the monsoon season | |||||||
| England 1966 | Withdrew "all African nations declined to Participate asking for African seat" | |||||||
| Mexico 1970 | Did Not Enter "due to Postponement of Sports activities in EGYPT after 1967 war" | |||||||
| West Germany 1974 | Did not qualify | 7th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Argentina 1978 | Did not qualify | 8th | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 12 |
| Spain 1982 | Did not qualify | 9th | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mexico 1986 | Did not qualify | 10th | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 1990 | Qualified for the FINALS | 11th | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| United States 1994 | Did not qualify | 12th | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 |
| France 1998 | Did not qualify | 13th | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 5 |
| South Korea/Japan 2002 | Did not qualify | 14th | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 9 |
| Germany 2006 | Did not qualify | 15th | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 26 | 15 |
| South Africa 2010 | Did not qualify | 16th | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 7 |
| Brazil 2014 | Did not qualify | 17th | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 14 |
| Russia 2018 | Qualified for the FINALS | 18th | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 5 |
| Qatar 2022 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| Total | final 3/20 | 17/20 | 87 | 48 | 18 | 21 | 156 | 84 |
World Cup qualifications games
FIFA World Cup URUGUAY 1930
The Egyptian Football association declined the invitation handed to it by FIFA because of the cost of the far trip to Uruguay to participate in the FIFA World Cup URUGUAY 1930
Group 12
The Palestine football team consisted of nine British footballers, six Jewish footballers and one Arab footballer. FIFA states in reference to the 1930s Palestine Mandate team that the 'Palestine team' that had participated in previous competitions in the 1930s was actually the forerunner of today's Israel team and as such bears no relation to the national team of the Palestinian authority although there were no state named Israel yet . However, the region currently known as Palestine is considered "one of the first Asian teams to compete in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers".
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 5.50 | 4 |
| 2 | Palestine, British Mandate | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 0.18 | 0 |
| — | Turkey | withdrew | |||||||
| 16 March 1934 | Egypt | 7–1 | Palestine, British Mandate | Cairo, Egypt |
| El-Tetsh 11', 35', 51' Taha 21', 79' Latif 43', 87' | [1] | Nudelmann 61' | Stadium: British Army Ground Attendance: 13,000 Referee: Stanley Wells (England) |
| 6 April 1934 | Palestine, British Mandate | 1–4 | Egypt | Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine/Land of Israel |
| Sukenik 54' | [2] | Latif 2' El-Tetsh 7', 22' Fawzi 35' | Stadium: Palms Stadium Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Frederick Goodsby (England) |
11–2 on aggregate; Egypt qualified.
FIFA World Cup FRANCE 1938
Group 4
Egypt were to play Romania in December 1937 however Egypt refused to play Romania due a Financial Problems
Another Story says Egypt refused to play Romania during the Ramadan month, Egyptian officials had argued it was "impossible" to play football during that time period. Egyptian officials went on to invite Austrian club side First Vienna FC to Egypt to participate in a friendly game against the national team during the holy month. As a result, Egypt were withdrawn from the competition by FIFA, so Romania qualified automatically.
FIFA World Cup BRAZIL 1950
Egypt did not participate in this version of the FIFA World Cup for no clear reasons
FIFA World Cup Switzerland 1954
Group 9
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 |
| 2 | Egypt | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 |
| 13 November 1953 | Egypt | 1–2 | Italy | Al Ahly Stadium, Cairo |
| Ad-Diba 33' | Frignani 62' Muccinelli 79' | Attendance: 22,000 Referee: Steiner (Austria) |
| 24 January 1954 | Italy | 5–1 | Egypt | Milan Municipality Stadium, Milan |
| Pandolfini 1' Frignani 62' Boniperti 65', 86' Ricagni 84' | El-Hamouly 32' | Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Horn (Netherlands) |
EGYPT didn't qualify
FIFA World Cup SWEDEN 1958
Africa and Asia
CAF / AFC first round
Group 3
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt | advanced | ||||||
| — | Cyprus | withdrew | ||||||
Cyprus withdrew, so Egypt advanced to the Second Round automatically.
CAF / AFC second round
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | Israel | advanced | ||||||
| 1= | Sudan | advanced | ||||||
| — | Egypt | withdrew | ||||||
| — | Indonesia | withdrew | ||||||
Indonesia withdrew after FIFA rejected their request to play against Israel on neutral ground. Israel advanced to the final round automatically. Egypt withdrew, so Sudan advanced to the final round automatically.
FIFA World Cup CHILE 1962
CAF first round
Group 1
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | United Arab Republic | withdrew | |||||||
| — | Sudan | withdrew | |||||||
United Arab Republic and Sudan both withdrew as FIFA refused to allow them to rearrange their games to avoid the monsoon season.[3][dead link]
FIFA World Cup ENGLAND 1966
Africa First Round
No matches were played because of protests to the allocation of spots. The original group draws were.
Group 1
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Group 2
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Group 3
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Group 4
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Group 5
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Group 6
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Africa Second Round
The second round pairing were scheduled as following.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 Winners | A | Group 5 Winners | – | – |
| Group 2 Winners | B | Group 4 Winners | – | – |
| Group 3 Winners | C | Group 6 Winners | – | – |
The winners were to advance to the final round.
FIFA World Cup MEXICO 1970
Egypt did not participate in this version of the FIFA World Cup due to the postponement of all sports activities after 1967 war
FIFA World Cup GERMANY 1974
| 8 December 1972 CAF first round – home | Egypt | 2–1 | Tunisia | Cairo, Egypt |
| Al-Khalil 10' Abderrazak 69' | Report | Chakroun 61' | Stadium: Cairo International Stadium Referee: Zlatanos (Greece) |
| 17 December 1972 CAF first round – away | Tunisia | 2–0 (3–2 agg.) | Egypt | Tunis, Tunisia |
| Chakroun 16' Moheiddine 71' | Report | Stadium: Stade El Menzah Referee: Babaçan (Turkey) |
Egypt out of first Round.
FIFA World Cup ARGENTINA 1978
| 29 October 1976 First round – home | Egypt | 3–0 | Ethiopia | Cairo, Egypt |
| Mahmoud El Khatib 4', 19', 77' | Stadium: Cairo International Stadium Referee: Menegali (Italy) |
| 14 November 1976 First round – away | Ethiopia | 1–2 (1–5 agg.) | Egypt | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Tekalinge Kassahun 40' | Mahmoud El Khatib 12', 73' | Stadium: National Stadium Referee: Wurtz (France) |
Egypt advanced to the Second Round.
| 6 February 1977 Second round – away | Kenya | 0–0 | Egypt | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium Referee: Ahmed Jama (Somalia) |
| 27 February 1977 Second round – home | Egypt | 1–0 (1–0 agg.) | Kenya | Cairo, Egypt |
| Ali Khalil 13' | Stadium: Cairo International Stadium Referee: El-Ghoul (Libya) |
Egypt advanced to the Third Round.
| 15 July 1977 Third round – home | Egypt | 2–0 | Zambia | Cairo, Egypt |
| Farouk Gaafar 29' Mohamed Abdallah "Hamama" 49' | Stadium: Cairo International Stadium Referee: Alberto Michelotti (Italy) |
| 31 July 1977 Third round – away | Zambia | 0–0 (0–2 agg.) | Egypt | Lusaka, Zambia |
| Stadium: 7th April Stadium Referee: Gordon (Scotland) |
Egypt advanced to the final round.
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tunisia | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 |
| 2 | Egypt | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 11 | −4 |
| 3 | Nigeria | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
| 8 October 1977 Final round – away 1 | Nigeria | 4–0 | Egypt | Lagos, Nigeria |
| Chukwu 24' Odegbami 54', 67' N'Wadioha 74' | Stadium: Surelere Stadium Referee: Correia (Portugal) |
| 21 October 1977 Final round – home 1 | Egypt | 3–1 | Nigeria | Cairo, Egypt |
| Moustapha Abdou 11', 27' Mokhtar Ali Mokhtar 90' | George Iwelumo 75' | Stadium: Cairo International Stadium Referee: Emmanuel Platopoulos (Greece) |
| 25 November 1977 Final round – home 2 | Egypt | 3–2 | Tunisia | Cairo, Egypt |
| Farouk Gaafar 25' (pen.) Moustapha Abdou 53' Mahmoud El Khatib 83' | Raouf Ben Aziza 80' Mohammed Ali Akid 87' | Stadium: Cairo International Stadium Referee: Hilmi Ok (Turkey) |
| 11 December 1977 Final round – away 2 | Tunisia | 4–1 | Egypt | Tunis, Tunisia |
| Mohammed Ali Akid 15' Temime Lahzami 43' Raouf Ben Aziza 64' Khemais Labidi 75' | Ahmed Abdel Baki 80' | Stadium: Stade El Menzah Referee: Gianfranco Menegali (Italy) |
Egypt out of Final Round.
FIFA World Cup SPAIN 1982
| CAF first round | Egypt | w/o | Ghana | |
| Withdrew |
Egypt advanced to the Second Round, Ghana withdrew.
| CAF second round | Egypt | w/o | Libya | |
| Withdrew |
Egypt advanced to the Third Round, Libya withdrew.
| 26 April 1981 CAF third round – away | Morocco | 1–0 | Egypt | Stade d'Honneur, Casablanca |
| Daidi | Attendance: 80,000 Referee: Nyrenda Chayu (Zambia) |
| 8 May 1981 CAF third round – home | Egypt | 0–0 (0–1 agg.) | Morocco | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo |
| Attendance: 100,000 Referee: Cheikh M'Baye (Senegal) |
Egypt out of Third Round.
FIFA World Cup MEXICO 1986
First Round
| 28 August 1984 | Egypt | 1–0 | Zimbabwe | Cairo, Egypt |
| Mayhoub | Report | Referee: Gebreysus Tesfaye (Ethiopia) |
| 30 September 1984 | Zimbabwe | 1–1 (1–2 agg.) | Egypt | Harare, Zimbabwe |
| Hamada Sedki 9' (o.g.) | Report | Suleiman 34' | Referee: Billy Phambala (Malawi) |
Egypt advanced to the Second Round.
Second Round
| 5 April 1985 | Egypt | 1–0 | Madagascar | Cairo, Egypt |
| Suleiman 64' | Report | Referee: Belaid Lacarne (Algeria) |
| 21 April 1985 | Madagascar | 1–0 (a.e.t.) (1–1 agg.) (2–4 p) | Egypt | Antananarivo, Madagascar |
| Herilia Rafanodina 57' | Report | Referee: Edwin Picon-Ackong (Mauritius) | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| ?? | Mahmoud El Khateeb Emad Soliman Ali Shehata Alaa Mayhoub Magdi Abedel Ghani | |||
Egypt advanced to the Third Round on penalties.
Third Round
| 12 July 1985 | Egypt | 0–0 | Morocco | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo |
| Report | Referee: Frank Valdemarca (Zimbabwe) |
| 28 July 1985 | Morocco | 2–0 (2–0 agg.) | Egypt | Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca |
| Timoumi 37' Bouderbala 82' | Report | Gamal Abdel Hamid | Referee: Badara Sene (Senegal) |
Egypt out of Third Round.
Second round Group B
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| Egypt | 2–0 | Liberia |
|---|---|---|
| Ala'a 23' El-Akad 42' |
| Malawi | 1–1 | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Kayira 89' | Hesham 60' |
| Kenya | 0–0 | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Liberia | 1–0 | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Debbah 45' |
| Egypt | 1–0 | Malawi |
|---|---|---|
| Hesham 28' |
| Egypt | 2–0 | Kenya |
|---|---|---|
| Hesham 58' I. Hossan 62' |
Final round
| Algeria | 0–0 | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 1–0 | Algeria |
|---|---|---|
| H. Hassan 4' |
Egypt won 1–0 on aggregate and qualified for the 1990 World Cup.
FIFA World Cup USA 1994
See also
- African nations at the FIFA World Cup
- Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations
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