Ibrahim Hassan is one of the most prominent names in Egyptian football history, having had a rich career as a player for the Egyptian national football team and a number of clubs, before continuing his journey in technical and administrative work. He currently holds the position of manager of the Egyptian national team, alongside his brother Hossam Hassan, the coach of the Pharaohs, and they contributed to a notable achievement in the 2026 World Cup. Ibrahim Hassan (59 years old) spoke in an interview with Al-Riyadiya about his vision of the Saudi League, the future of Egyptian players in it, the reasons for Egypt's success, in addition to his assessment of refereeing and organization in the World Cup.

01 How do you assess the Saudi Professional League before the start of its new season? The Saudi League is one of the strongest leagues in the region, and it includes big international names that raised its technical and media value. I follow it constantly, and Egyptian fans also follow Saudi football heavily, specifically the matches of the four major clubs: Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, and Al-Ahli.

02 What is your favorite team in the Saudi League? I am a fan of Saudi football in general, and I enjoy following Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli, and Al-Nassr, with great respect for Al-Shabab and the rest of the clubs. I have been following the Saudi League even before the recent boom and the signing of global stars.

03 Do you think the potential transfer of Egyptian players to the Saudi League, such as Mohamed Salah, Emam Ashour, or Mohamed Sobhi, will serve the national team? Certainly, if Mohamed Salah moves, he will be a great addition to the Saudi League, and he will also benefit from the experience. Any Egyptian player who joins the Saudi League will serve the Egyptian national team, and in return the league will benefit from the Egyptian player's abilities, because he possesses high technical quality and is capable of delivering distinguished performances.

04 How do you assess the Saudi national team's participation in the 2026 World Cup? I think the Saudi team performed better in the Qatar World Cup compared to the latest edition. In my opinion, the lack of technical stability, and changing the coach shortly before the tournament, affected the team, in addition to the lack of continuous participation of Saudi players due to the large number of foreign players in the league, which reflected on the team's readiness.

05 What is the secret behind the success of the Egyptian national team in the recent World Cup? The presence of a local coach of the caliber of Hossam Hassan, with his great history locally and internationally, his love for his country, and his dedication to work. He was able to transfer to the players the spirit of winning, rejection of losing, and instilled in them self-confidence and belief in their abilities.

06 Do you think the local coach is better than the foreign coach in leading Arab national teams? Yes, provided that the coach has a strong personality, has experience and confidence, and knows how to instill belonging and enthusiasm in the players. The local coach is often more connected to his country's national team, while the foreign coach often thinks from the professional and financial side. The evidence is that most coaches who succeeded in the Africa Cup of Nations were local, while Arab national teams did not achieve success with foreign coaches in the World Cup.

07 What is your opinion on the stances of the Spaniard Lamine Yamal and his praise for the Egyptian national team? I think Hossam Hassan opened the door for the world to talk about rejecting racism and supporting humanitarian issues. Lamine Yamal is a player of Arab and Muslim origin, and it is natural for him to express his positions. I hope that all Arab players and those of Arab origin will have a role in conveying the voice of Arab issues to the world. What Hossam Hassan did in terms of stances and messages had a great impact internationally.

08 How do you assess the refereeing and organization in the 2026 World Cup? In my opinion, we were subjected to clear refereeing injustice in the match against Argentina, and there were influential errors. If justice had been done, the Egyptian team would have been able to eliminate Argentina from the tournament. As for organization, there were difficulties regarding the timing of some matches, as some teams played at 12:00 noon, which forced players to prepare very early, in addition to the long distances between cities, which caused fatigue for the teams.

09 The FIFA president described the 2026 edition as the best in history... Do you agree with him? Perhaps it was the best from a financial and stadium infrastructure perspective, but on the technical level, I do not see it as the best edition in World Cup history.

10 With the approaching end of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's careers, who do you expect to surpass their numbers? Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe.

11 What are the goals of the Egyptian national team in the next phase? We aim to build on what we have achieved, continue to develop, achieve more accomplishments, and not return to the starting point.

12 A final word? I hope that Saudi football officials reconsider the number of foreign players, as that directly affects the participation of Saudi players and the level of the national team. I also wish all Arab national teams early and good preparation for upcoming commitments, while enhancing self-confidence and ambition to achieve better results.