Thousands of Egyptians welcome the "Pharaohs."

Thousands of fans welcomed the Egyptian national football team upon their return from participating in the 2026 World Cup finals in North America, after achieving the best accomplishment in their history by reaching the Round of 16 for the first time, before exiting the tournament with a loss to the defending champions Argentina with a score of 3-2.

Fans gathered outside Alamein International Airport to welcome the players and coaching staff, waving Egyptian flags and holding banners celebrating what the team achieved in their fourth World Cup appearance. One of the banners read "Egypt's Men Made Us Proud," while fans held up pictures of team captain Mohamed Salah with the words "Thank You" written on them.

Large images of coach Hossam Hassan holding the Palestinian flag also appeared, in reference to his supportive stance on the Palestinian cause during the tournament, as he had previously raised the Palestinian flag on the field on several occasions and expressed his support for the Palestinians during his press conferences.

Egyptian channels broadcast the moment the team arrived at Alamein Airport, before the players boarded an open-top bus that toured the airport area amidst the cheers of the fans, who exchanged greetings with the team members in a festive atmosphere.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is scheduled to receive the players and members of the coaching and administrative staff on Saturday, in an official ceremony following the achievement the team made in the tournament.

The Egyptian authorities chose to hold the reception ceremony in the new city of Alamein, as part of promoting the city and facilitating organizational and security aspects with the expectation of a large turnout of fans.

Despite exiting in the Round of 16, the team concluded their participation with widespread praise after delivering the best performance in their history at the World Cup, as they were leading 2-0 against Argentina until the final minutes before conceding three consecutive goals.

Before the team's return, the Egyptian Football Association announced the renewal of head coach Hossam Hassan's contract and team manager Ibrahim Hassan, confirming the continuation of the technical project and building on the results achieved during the past period. The duration of the contract was not announced, while local reports indicated that it extends until 2030.

Hossam Hassan took over as coach of the national team in February 2024, leading them to the semifinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, and then qualifying for the 2026 World Cup for the first time in eight years, before achieving the best accomplishment in Egypt's World Cup history.