Egypt to play against Russia in a friendly before World Cup

The Egypt national football team are stepping up preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup under the guidance of head coach Hossam Hassan, as the Pharaohs look to fine-tune their squad ahead of the global showpiece.

The upcoming tournament, scheduled from June 11 to July 19, 2026, will be the largest in the competition’s history. Hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, it will feature 48 teams and 104 matches played over 34 days in 16 different cities.

Following the draw, Egypt have been placed in Group G alongside the Belgium national football team, Iran national football team, and the New Zealand national football team, setting up what promises to be a competitive and unpredictable group.

As part of their build-up, the Russian Football Union has confirmed a friendly match between Egypt and the Russia national football team on May 28 at the Egypt Stadium in the New Administrative Capital.

The two nations share a notable history, having faced each other seven times, with Russia winning six encounters and Egypt claiming just one victory. Their most recent meeting came during the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, where Russia secured a 3-1 win.

Russia’s preparation schedule also includes fixtures against Burkina Faso national football team on June 5 in Volgograd and Trinidad and Tobago national football team on June 9 in Kaliningrad.

Meanwhile, Egypt are set for another high-profile test against the Brazil national football team on June 6, before travelling to the United States to acclimatise and complete their final preparations ahead of the tournament’s kickoff.