Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan said they want to prove their mettle at the ongoing FIFA World Cup. Pharaohs haven’t achieved a lot of success at the World Cup stage and they will be determined to turn a corner in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

Egypt have won seven AFCONs titles in the continental tournament but there is no doubt that they will need to lift their level at the biggest stage.

Hassan’s team will return to the World Cup for the first time since 2018 and they would want to go deep into the tournament.

“We have seven AFCONs under our belt, no African squad has ever managed to achieve this until now,” Hassan told journalists in his pre-match news conference on Sunday.

“Of course, maybe we’ve had some negative perceptions [outside Africa] as we’ve only participated four times at the World Cup.

“We haven’t been showing up as frequently as other teams, but now we have a generation who belong on this stage.”

Meanwhile, African nations like Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana have reached the quarterfinal stage of the tournament but Egypt are yet to register their maiden World Cup win.

Hassan is optimistic that they will be able to turn their fortunes in the ongoing edition.

“We have a new squad, with players who are elements of change joining the experienced players,” he continued.

“This Egypt squad has stars who are known worldwide, and I have new players who are a huge and positive addition to the squad.

“Our squad now is one to be reckoned with, and I trust them completely that they will perform in a way to bring honour and pride to our players.”

Egypt will begin its campaign against Belgium on Monday in Seattle.