A Texas-sized celebration has started in Dallas and it can be felt all the way in Cairo.
In their first ever FIFA World Cup™ knockout round tie, have added another chapter to their historical journey at these 2026 finals in North America by advancing to the Round of 16 after .
"Honestly it's incredible, because you know that in Egypt there are 120 million people you've made happy today, and you know that today there will be celebrations across the whole country,” said forward Haissem Hassan to FIFA.
“Knowing that you made so many people happy makes you happy too. I think it's a perfect day. We're very happy, we're already looking forward to celebrating in the locker room. Afterward, we expect a lot of Egyptian people waiting for us at the hotel. Today is a day to celebrate."
Despite the weight of the occasion, Egypt never flinched, even after Australia fought back to pull level in the second half through an own goal.
"Honestly,[it was] a match full of emotion,” said Hassan. “We started off winning, then they equalized. There were chances on both sides. In the end, everyone knows that with penalties, either you get through or you're eliminated. There was a lot of pressure, but in the end, thank God, we managed to win. We've entered Egypt's history. Today is a perfect day."
Goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir, whose , was rock solid again on the day for the Pharaohs and hailed the battling spirit displayed during the 120 minutes and spot kicks.
"It was Egyptian ‘grinta’ (grit), it’s something in our genetics, it’s something amazing,” said Shoubir to FIFA. “We fight until the end, even the next game, even if we play more games, we're going to fight until the end. Even if we have shortage in some places because we have a lot of injuries. We fight until the end for the fans, for the country and for ourselves.
"History is written. We can't believe that we did this to achieve this level. Since the first day for us here, we spoke with each other that we will not come here to play only the group stage and go back home. We tried our best and then luck was with us. Of course, God gave us a lot and we appreciate that and we hope to continue more."
Next up for Egypt will be a Round of 16 encounter on 7 July at Atlanta Stadium. No doubt Egypt will be fully focused on that contest, but for now, Egypt’s landmark victory needs to be savoured just a bit longer.
"For now, we're only thinking about celebrating this, because I think there's time for everything,” said Hassan. “There's time to work, and time to celebrate. Now it's our turn to celebrate. We'll start working on preparing for the match against our next opponent, but for now we're very happy.”
Sources: FIFA Official
