President Sisi receives the national team players after the World Cup

Khaled Al-Darandali, Vice President of the Egyptian Football Association, confirmed that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, will receive the first-team players after their return from the United States of America.

The Egyptian national team exited the 2026 World Cup from the round of 16, after losing to Argentina by three goals to two, in the match that brought them together yesterday evening, Tuesday, at Atlanta Stadium in the United States of America.

Khaled Al-Darandali said in statements to MBC Egypt 2: "We cannot be sad after this honorable performance and the level we have reached."

He added: "What saddens us only is that victory was close, and the players had a dream of qualifying for the quarterfinals, and upon reaching this stage, qualifying for the semifinals would have been easy."

He continued: "Mohamed Salah, the team captain, said after the match against Argentina that he was honored to be with the players (who have no equal), and the talk was positive, and the players calmed down even more when they learned of the President's congratulations and that he would receive them after their return to Cairo."

Regarding the refereeing errors in the match, he said: "I do not want to talk about my position as the Football Association regarding the refereeing crisis in that match, as these are matters that have another context, but I confirm that this was one of the best delegations I have led.. The players were extremely disciplined and honored Egypt."

Khaled Al-Darandali concluded his statements by saying: "The delegation will arrive tomorrow evening, Thursday, in Cairo, and I confirm that the team has placed Egypt in a much higher rank, and we have become among the big teams, and I consider that the team defeated the world champion."

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, during the period from June 11 to July 19.