FIFA hands heavy sanctions to Egypt after controversial World Cup exit

Egypt have been hit with severe FIFA sanctions following their controversial 3-2 defeat by Argentina at the 2026 World Cup.

Head coach Hossam Hassan and his assistant, Ibrahim Hassan, have both been suspended for three matches. Forward Mostafa Zico has received a five-match ban after describing the tournament as rigged.

The punishments leave Egypt facing a major disruption before their two-match meeting with Malawi in November in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The national team will be without both members of its coaching staff and its leading forward for the coming months.

The Egyptian Football Federation has criticised the verdict as excessive and formally requested FIFA’s legal reasoning behind the decisions.

It is also preparing an appeal in an attempt to reduce the length of the suspensions before Egypt’s next competitive fixtures.