While praise poured in for the technical director of the Egyptian national team, Hossam Hassan, and his players, after their success in qualifying for the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, the ceiling of ambitions rose on the Egyptian street, which was not satisfied with celebrating the current achievement but raised the ceiling of its dreams even further.

Egypt qualified for the first time to the round of 16 of the World Cup, after defeating Australia 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in regular and extra time, the first victory for the 'Pharaohs' in knockout rounds in their World Cup participation history.

Sports figures and analysts praised the Egyptian achievement, affirming that Hossam Hassan succeeded in restoring the fighting spirit to the team, despite the challenges and injuries faced by the players.

Social media platforms in Egypt witnessed widespread celebration by users for the technical staff and players, with the name of the technical director, Hossam Hassan, topping the trends list, along with several of his players, most notably Mohamed Salah, Haitham Hassan, Mohamed Hany, and Emam Ashour.

Tweeters praised the abilities of player Haitham Hassan in his first World Cup appearance, and the experience of 'Pharaohs' captain Mohamed Salah, and his penalty kick in the 'Panenka style'. Despite criticism that targeted right-back Mohamed Hany for the own goal, many praised the performance he delivered throughout the match and the tournament.

Fans expressed pride in the national team, praising the technical staff's ability to overcome difficulties and reach this advanced stage of the tournament.

Egypt national team and technical staff celebrate victory (Egyptian Football Association)

Many fans also affirmed that the team is capable of competing with the big teams again if it continues with the same tactical performance shown during the tournament.

While a segment of the fans affirmed that merely reaching the round of 16 is a 'dream come true', others expressed their dreams of more success and achievement in the tournament, surpassing the following rounds to the furthest point.

The 'Pharaohs' face Argentina next Tuesday, July 7, in the round of 16 of the World Cup. This match was anticipated by fans even before facing Australia, and it occupied a part of their comments, as they called for maintaining the same fighting spirit against Messi and his teammates to ensure continued participation in the tournament.

Sports critic Mustafa Saber considered that the praise for Hossam Hassan and the players is 'deserved' because the team did not just achieve a victory, but 'achieved a historic achievement by qualifying for the round of 16 of the World Cup for the first time'.

He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: 'The Egyptian team showed a strong character in the match against Australia, especially in handling penalty kicks after years in which they were a clear weak point, and I believe the team proved it can continue, but competing in further rounds requires technical stability and maintaining the same spirit.'

The technical staff of the Egyptian national team received great praise after reaching the round of 16 in the World Cup (Egyptian Football Association)

Saber points out that facing Argentina will be completely different technically and mentally, so 'the danger of Argentina's stars must be stopped and spaces between lines reduced because they are good at exploiting any defensive error. Also, players must not be physically exhausted after the Australia match, which extended to 120 minutes. Most importantly, the mentality must change so that players enter any match aiming to win regardless of the opponent's name, rather than just settling for an honorable performance.'

For her part, sports critic Rania Abdel Wahab believes that what Egyptians are experiencing today cannot be reduced to a match result or qualification to a new round, but rather a complete restoration of their right to dream, after three previous World Cup participations that left no memorable achievements.

She adds to Asharq Al-Awsat: 'This team seems like a phenomenon that cannot be explained by numbers alone; a group of players brought an entire nation back to dreaming, and perhaps they themselves were in dire need of this dream. We feel that their ambitions on the field are greater than the ambitions of millions of Egyptians watching them behind screens.'

She continues: 'Hossam Hassan was the first to believe in this team. He believed in himself and believed in his players, and relied on national spirit and unity around the Egyptian shirt as weapons no less important than any technical plan or tactical superiority. He created an exceptional atmosphere inside the camp, whose effect spread to the Egyptian street, so the team became the talk of homes, cafes, and squares, and Egyptians began eagerly awaiting the next match with the same passion many thought had disappeared forever.'

Regarding the match against Argentina, the sports critic points out that this confrontation 'does not need excessive confidence, nor killing the fans' enthusiasm with calls for excessive realism. What is required is simply to transform these feelings and ambitions into energy on the field, and perseverance until the last moment.'

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