Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy has declared the Pharaohs' ambition to achieve something special at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The veteran made the comments in an interview with FIFA's official website published on Monday.
El Shenawy, 37, believes the first objective is to qualify for the knockout stage. But his personal ambition goes further. The experienced keeper stated: "I'm dead-set on going all the way at the World Cup." The team is relying on the experience of players like Mohamed Salah and Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet, who have played in the World Cup before, to help the squad adapt.
The Pharaohs wrapped up their preparations with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Brazil in Mexico. This followed a 4-0 friendly win over Saudi Arabia in March and a 1-0 victory against Russia in Cairo on 28 May. These matches are part of a comprehensive plan. The team has already traveled to Spokane in the United States to prepare for their opening match against Belgium on 15 June. Fans can check the full schedule on our fixtures page.
El Shenawy is making his second World Cup appearance after featuring in the 2018 Russia finals. The goalkeeper vividly recalls his first match against Uruguay, where he was named Man of the Match despite the loss. He said: "It was my first World Cup match. Egypt hadn't been to the tournament in 28 years, so every player was completely focused." He believes the long absence negatively affected the team last time but hopes it will be different now.
Egypt have been drawn in Group G alongside Belgium, Iran, and New Zealand. El Shenawy acknowledges the difficulty, especially in the opener. He explained: "It will be a huge match for us. We've played Belgium before, but things are different now." Supporters can view the current team lineup on our squad page.
The squad is now focusing fully on the upcoming challenges. El Shenawy stresses that progressing in the tournament would be an enormous achievement for the Pharaohs, and he hopes they can deliver something new. The strong qualifying campaign, where Egypt dominated CAF Group A with 26 points from a possible 30, provides a significant morale boost ahead of the competition.
