Record-winning nation Egypt was one of the favorites to add AFCON 2025 to their seven titles, but focus now turns to the World Cup.
Published January 16, 2026
Egypt may be disappointed not to reach the African Cup of Nations finals, but coach Hossam Hassan said it was a good experience ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held later this year.
Egypt lost to Senegal in the semi-finals in Tangier on Wednesday, but will play Nigeria for bronze at the tournament in Morocco on Saturday.
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“It was a very good preparation for us. Throughout the tournament we tried several playing systems and played against different types of opponents,” Hassan said.
“We were one step away from the final, but that’s soccer,” he said of the 1-0 loss to Senegal.
“Overall, I’m happy with everything that happened and what we achieved. We have a good team. We were away from home, so there weren’t many supporters.”
He added that the match against Nigeria will be another opportunity to prepare for the World Cup.
Egypt will play in Group G, starting with Belgium in Seattle on June 15, New Zealand in Vancouver on June 21 and Iran returning to Seattle on June 26.
Hassan said Egypt may have fallen short due to a lack of players from top European clubs, while the two finalists, Morocco and Senegal, have players from top European teams.
“Players based in Europe have developed better tactical acumen and are much stronger physically. We need that added value to get better,” he said.
Egypt’s 28-man squad had only three European-based players – Liverpool captain Mohamed Salah, Manchester City’s Omar Marmouche and Ligue 1 side Nantes’ Mostafa Mohamed.
“I think the (Nigeria) game is an opportunity for us to continue our preparation, but we always want to win. Egypt always plays to win. We are a team that has won the Nations Cup seven times in the past,” Hassan said.
“We will evaluate what needs to be improved after the match. We will study the good points to become better both defensively and offensively,” he added.
