Hossam Hassan: Egypt’s World Cup success proves value of home-grown coaches

Hossam Hassan says Egypt’s run to the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup has underlined the value of trusting Egyptian coaches and players, while Mohamed Salah and Hamza Abdelkarim both benefited from their involvement in the tournament.

Egypt were eliminated by Argentina after a 3-2 defeat in the last 16. Hassan said being received by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi after the tournament was “a medal on my chest”, adding that every point made by the president carried “a specific and important meaning”.

Speaking at an Egyptian Football Association ceremony for the national teams, Hassan said el-Sisi had shown confidence in Egyptian expertise and called for greater reliance on local coaches after their recent successes.

He also said Egypt had restored the supporters’ connection with the national team.

“We managed to bring the smile back to the faces of the Egyptian fans,” Hassan said. “They returned to rally around the team because of the spirit, performances and results.”

Hassan credited the Egyptian FA board with providing full backing to his coaching staff, both under the previous chairman, Gamal Allam, and the current chairman, engineer Hany Abo Rida. He described that support as a major reason for the team’s recent achievements.

He thanked Egyptian supporters at home and abroad for consistently following the team, saying the players and staff were determined to fight to make them happy.

Hassan insisted that selection decisions were based solely on performances on the pitch.

“My advice to players in the youth national teams is that the national team is your first gateway to playing professionally,” he said. “The club is important, but the national team is number one.”

He denied being pressured to select Hamza Abdelkarim, the Barcelona player, for the 2026 World Cup and said the teenager had benefited from the experience.

“I do not look at a particular age or a particular club. The only thing that attracts my attention is performance on the pitch,” Hassan said.

He advised younger players to follow Salah’s example and said Egypt’s captain had also gained from playing as a number 10 or number nine during the World Cup.

“Other players benefited as well, renewed their contracts with their clubs and saw their values increase because of their participation,” he added. “That is normal and I am happy about it.”

Hassan said Egypt were paying close attention to dual-nationality players based outside the country.

He questioned why clubs and national teams so often turned to foreign coaches when Egypt had “very good” local alternatives. Foreign managers, he said, expected ideal working conditions and could struggle to deal with the realities faced in Egypt, unlike an Egyptian coach.

Hassan also criticised leading Egyptian league clubs for relying on overseas managers and dismissed complaints about player fatigue when squads contained 35 players.

“Egypt is not a small country,” he said. “We are a big country. I always told the players before World Cup matches, including against Argentina: do not think about who you are facing; think about wearing the Egypt shirt.”

He added that a foreign coach could cost at least 500,000 Egyptian pounds a day in hotel expenses, while Egypt’s Project Goal facilities now allowed the team to hold camps there with everything available.

Egypt will next face Angola and South Sudan in 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, as well as South Africa in a friendly during the international break, which begins in the coming days.