Egypt begin U-17 World Cup campaign with Greece opener and Qatar clash

Egypt will start their third U-17 World Cup campaign against Greece before facing hosts Qatar and finishing the group stage against Panama.

The young Pharaohs have been drawn in Group A alongside Qatar, Panama and Greece, in a section that appears to be unusually open. None of the four nations is regarded as an undisputed favourite, leaving Egypt with a realistic opportunity to progress to the second round.

Qatar will have the advantage of playing on home soil and will be aiming to secure a place in the knockout stages in front of their own supporters. Egypt, however, will also believe they can advance after being handed a group without a clear dominant side.

The Egyptian team will be hoping to end a long wait for a deep run at the tournament. Their ambition is to reach at least the quarter-finals, a stage they have not appeared in since 1997.

Egypt’s squad includes goalkeeper Mohamed Obeid, as well as Ahmed Beshir and Amir Abou El Ezz. The trio will be among the players expected to help the young Pharaohs negotiate a demanding opening phase.

Egypt are involved from the first day of the competition, with their opening fixture against Greece. Their second match will bring them up against Qatar, before the group campaign concludes with a meeting with Panama.

The schedule gives Egypt three different challenges in the space of the opening round: an opening encounter with Greece, a match against the host nation and a final fixture against Panama. Their results across those games will determine whether they can move beyond the group stage and continue their attempt to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1997.

Egypt’s U-17 World Cup group-stage schedule

– 19 November, 14:00: Egypt v Greece – 22 November, 15:00: Qatar v Egypt – 25 November, 14:30: Panama v Egypt

The competition will therefore begin with Egypt facing Greece before the attention turns to their meeting with Qatar on 22 November. They will then return to action three days later against Panama, completing their Group A programme on 25 November.