Egypt is a transcontinental country, meaning its territory crosses two continents. Though the Egyptians might be divided in a lot of things, sports is where most of them set aside their differences and come together.

Egyptian football fan

Egyptian football fan

Football is by far the most popular sport in Egypt, and the Egyptian national football team called the "Pharaohs" has taken home the African Cup of Nations a total of seven times, which includes a three-peat performance in 2006, 2008, and 2010. Without a doubt, this is why they are considered the most successful among the African national teams and one of the few African national teams that reached a single-digit ranking in FIFA (9th). The national team has only qualified for the FIFA World Cup three times, the most recent in Russia 2018.

"Egypt's dominance in African football is unmatched. Their seven African Cup of Nations titles demonstrate not just talent, but a deep-rooted sporting culture that brings the nation together through athletic achievement."
— Robert J. Wood, PhD, Founder of Topend Sports

Football is not the only popular sport in Egypt, though. They also love playing tennis and squash. Their squash team is one of the fiercest competitors for international championships since the early part of the 20th century. Egypt's Ramy Ashour (2010) and Amr Shabana (2006) both received the rank "World's Number One Squash Player". Their basketball team also holds records of the African Championship, Basketball World Cup, as well as the Summer Olympics. Egypt first competed in the Olympic Games in 1912 and has taken a total of 26 Olympic medals to date (including 2012).

Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Egypt. Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let us know.

Football Excellence

Egypt's national team has won 7 African Cup titles and qualified for 4 World Cups, making them African football royalty.

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Squash Powerhouse

Egyptian squash players have dominated internationally, with 7 World Team Championships and multiple world #1 rankings.

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Olympic Legacy

Competing since 1912, Egypt has earned over 30 Olympic medals across various sports including wrestling, fencing, and swimming.

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Egypt's Success in Football

Egypt has made just three World Cup appearances in the past - 1934, 1990, and 2018. The team just qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will make it its fourth appearance at the World Cup.

Although Egypt has never lifted a World Cup trophy before, it has won several AFCON trophies. The Pharaohs have won the AFCON title seven times - 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, and 2010.

"The three consecutive African Cup victories from 2006 to 2010 represent one of the most dominant periods in continental football history. This achievement solidified Egypt's position as Africa's premier football nation."
— Robert Wood, Founder of Topend Sports

Egypt at the Olympics

Egypt has won several medals at the Olympics, and they include:

Egypt at the Paris 2024 Olympics

Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 1 1 3

Egypt at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 1 4 6

Egypt at the Rio 2016 Olympics

Gold Silver Bronze Total
0 0 3 3

Egypt at the London 2012 Olympics

Gold Silver Bronze Total
0 3 1 4
"Egyptian Olympic athletes demonstrate exceptional versatility across multiple disciplines. From El Sayed Mohamed Nosseir's historic 1928 weightlifting gold to modern achievements in fencing, wrestling, and swimming, Egypt maintains a consistent Olympic presence spanning over a century."
— Robert J. Wood, PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of Western Australia, Founder of Topend Sports

Popular sports of Egypt

Traditional or Regional Sports of Egypt

  • Speed-Ball — an Egyptian racquet sport where player hit a ball suspended from a central pole
  • Raqs Sharqi - It is also known as belly dancing. This form of dance is done at weddings and other celebrations
  • Tahtib - This is a form of martial art, which is used to settle disputes between two people.
  • Falconry - It is a sport that involves training and hunting using birds of prey.

Egypt Sporting Success

  • African Cup of Nations (football) seven-times winners (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010)
  • 2001 FIFA Youth World Cup winners (held in Argentina)
  • Egypt has won the World Team Squash Championships seven times

Great athletes from Egypt

  • Alaaeldin Abouelkassem (Fencing)
  • Ramy Ashour (Squash)
  • Dr. Rania ElWani (Swimming)
  • Abdellatief Abouheif (Swimming)
  • Hossam Hassan (Football)
  • Mohamed Salah (Football)
  • Karam Gaber (Greco-Roman wrestling)

Egypt Sports trivia

  • Egypt's first-ever Olympic gold medalist was El Sayed Mohamed Nosseir, who won gold in weightlifting at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.
  • In 1934, Egypt became the first African team to play in the World Cup finals

Egypt at major events

Past sporting events hosted in Egypt

Upcoming sporting events in Egypt

Annual sporting events held in Egypt

  • Egyptian Premier League, with the very popular Cairo Derby between Egyptian clubs Al Ahly SC and Zamalek SC.
  • The Cairo Marathon: It is an annual event that takes place in the capital city of Cairo. This event is held in March.
  • The Egyptian Open: It is a professional golf tournament that takes place in Cairo.
  • The Egyptian National Football League: This is a top-tier football league that is held annually in Egypt.
  • The Egyptian National Basketball League: It is a top-tier basketball league that is held annually in Egypt.

Sporting Facilities in Egypt

  • Cairo International Stadium
  • Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria