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 in the Egyptian street has risen, which not only celebrated the current achievement but raised the ceiling of their dreams even further.

The Egyptian national team 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, which is the first victory for the 'Pharaohs' in knockout stages throughout their World Cup participation history.

Sportsmen and analysts praised the Egyptian achievement, confirming that Hossam Hassan succeeded in restoring the fighting spirit to the team, despite the challenges and injuries that faced the players.

Social media platforms in Egypt witnessed widespread celebration by their users for the technical staff and players, and the name of the technical director, Hossam Hassan, topped the 'trending' list, along with a number 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 appearance in the World Cup, and the experience of the 'Pharaohs' captain Mohamed Salah, and his penalty kick in the 'Panenka style'. Despite the criticism that targeted right-back Mohamed Hani due to the own goal he scored, many praised the performance he delivered throughout the match and the tournament.

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

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

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

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

The 'Pharaohs' face the Argentine national team next Tuesday, July 7 of this month, in the round of 16 of the World Cup. This match, which the fans were anticipating even before playing the match against Australia, took up part of their comments; they called for the need to maintain the same fighting spirit against Messi and his teammates, to ensure continuation 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 national team showed a strong personality in the match against Australia, especially in dealing with penalty kicks after years in which they represented an obvious weakness, and I believe the team has proven it can continue, but competing in further rounds requires technical stability and continuation in the same spirit.'

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

Saber points out that facing the Argentine national team will be completely different technically and mentally, so 'it is necessary to stop the danger of the Argentine stars and reduce the spaces between the lines; because they are good at exploiting any defensive mistake, and also avoid exhausting the players physically after the match against Australia that extended to 120 minutes, and most importantly of all is changing the mentality, so that the players enter any match with the aim of winning regardless of the opponent's name, not just being satisfied with a respectable performance.'

For her part, sports critic Rania Abdel Wahab believes that what Egyptians are experiencing today cannot be summed up in 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 achievements to tell in memory.

She adds to 'Asharq Al-Awsat': 'This team seems like a case that is difficult to explain by numbers alone; a group of players that 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 following them from 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 the national spirit and rallying around the Egyptian shirt as two weapons no less important than any tactical plan or technical superiority, so he created an exceptional atmosphere inside the camp, its impact extended to the Egyptian street, so the team became the talk of homes, cafes, and squares again, and Egyptians began to eagerly await the next match with the same passion that many thought had disappeared forever.'

Regarding facing Argentina, the sports critic points out that this confrontation 'does not require exaggeration in confidence, nor to kill the enthusiasm of the fans with calls for excessive realism; all that is required is for these feelings and ambitions to turn into energy on the field, and perseverance until the last moment.'

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