Tony Popovic, the head coach of the Australian national team, supported the statements made by Hossam Hassan, the coach of Egypt, before the match between the two teams, as part of the 2026 World Cup competition.
The Australian national team faces its counterpart, Egypt, at nine o'clock this evening, Friday, at Dallas Stadium, in the United States of America, as part of the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup.
A journalist asked Popovic a question at the press conference before the match, saying: "In the Egyptian national team's press conference, they talked about Australia's advantage in height and physical strength, and the coach said this is not American football but just football.. what do you think?"
Tony Popovic replied, saying: "I agree with him, this is football.. Egypt reached this stage because they play good football, and we also reached because we played good football."
Regarding the support of the fans for his team, he said: "The whole nation stands behind the team, and we have seen wonderful scenes of children and schools stopping to watch the matches.. if this encourages more young people to play the game, it would be great for Australian football, especially since this young group can inspire the next generation."
He added: "We have great respect for the history of Australian football, and it is especially important that young players know the pioneers who put Australian football on the map.. the old jerseys and pictures of previous successful teams remind them of that."
He continued: "This group made history by qualifying from the groups, and today we have the opportunity to make more history, and whatever the outcome of the match, the image of this team will remain part of Australian football history, and will be proudly hung on our walls."
He continued: "The Egyptian team is very strong, and did not lose in the group stage, and this is not by chance.. they have great collective quality and fight for a special goal like us, and they also have a number of players capable of deciding matches with individual effort, and we are well aware of that."
Regarding the readiness of his players to play today's match, Tony Popovic concluded his statements by saying: "Except for the duo, Matthew Leckie and Jacob Italiano, all players are physically ready."
The United States of America is hosting the 2026 World Cup, along with Mexico and Canada, with the participation of 48 teams, for the first time in the history of the tournament, from June 11th to July 19th.
