The Egyptian Football Association, on Sunday, terminated the contract of Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria as the head of the national team, concluding his 572-day tenure following the Pharaohs’ premature exit from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Vitoria assumed the reins of the Egyptian national team in July 2023, overseeing 18 matches across various competitions.
During his tenure, Egypt secured 12 victories, drew in four, suffered two defeats, with the players scoring 46 goals while conceding 20.
Despite the notable statistics, Vitoria failed to win the hearts of the Egyptian sports community, especially during the Africa Cup of Nations 2023, where the team faced challenges and recorded no victories in four matches.
The Egyptian team advanced to the Round of 16 after finishing second in the group stage, collecting three points from three draws against Mozambique, Ghana, and Cape Verde before losing to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a penalty shootout in the knockout stage.
Vitoria experienced only one official defeat with the Egyptian national team, in the mentioned penalty shootout against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Notably, his only loss in a friendly match occurred against Tunisia, with a score of 1-3.
The last victory under his coaching was against Sierra Leone, with a convincing 2-0, in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
As Egypt leads Group A in the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup with six points after the first two rounds, the Egyptian Football Association has appointed Mohamed Youssef as the interim coach for the national team until the selection of a new foreign coach.
Meanwhile, Alaa Nabil assumes the role of the team’s technical director.
