- Hossam Hassan: We respect Iran.. and our goal is to qualify by winning
- The situation of the injured and the yellow cards
- Regarding the controversy that arose before the Iran match
- Hossam Hassan: There are no weak teams in the World Cup
- He praises the spirit and discipline within the team.
- Hossam Hassan: Salah responded well to my methods and will benefit with his new club
Seattle, USA – Hossam Hassan, the coach of the Egyptian national team, confirmed the Pharaohs’ readiness to face Iran in the third and final round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, stressing that the team’s goal is to achieve victory and secure qualification for the round of 32. He also spoke about the injured players, his relationship with Mohamed Salah, and the truth about the team being affected by the controversy outside the field.
Hossam Hassan: We respect Iran.. and our goal is to qualify by winning
Hossam Hassan said during the press conference: “All respect to the Iranian national team, as it is one of the strongest teams in Asia and occupies an advanced position in the world rankings, and we respect all competitors as we did in the previous two matches”.
He added: “We have high ambitions, and our goal is to confirm qualification for the second round, and the players are fully focused on the match”.
The situation of the injured and the yellow cards
The coach revealed that all the players are ready for the match despite some injuries, explaining: “There are injuries like Hamdi Fathi and Hossam Abdel-Maguid, but I have confidence in all the players, and I chose 26 players because they are all at the same level”.
He added: “We are also thinking about the yellow cards issue so that we don’t lose influential players if we qualify for the second round, but our first focus is on achieving victory”.
Regarding the controversy that arose before the Iran match
Hossam Hassan responded to the news that spoke of the possibility of withdrawing from the match due to the controversy surrounding the events accompanying the match, saying: “Our focus as a technical staff and players is only on the field, while organizational and administrative matters are the responsibility of the Egyptian Football Association and FIFA”.
He added: “We are only looking at the match and how to achieve a positive result through our performance on the field”.
Hossam Hassan: There are no weak teams in the World Cup
The coach stressed that all participating teams have great quality, emphasizing: “Football has changed a lot, and there are no longer weak teams. Even African teams have a large number of professionals in Europe, which makes all matches difficult”.
He praises the spirit and discipline within the team.
Hossam Hassan explained that the national team’s success does not depend solely on the technical aspect, saying: “Spirit alone is not enough, and discipline alone is not enough either. Success comes from combining discipline, spirit, tactics, and organization within the team”.
He added that there is great cooperation between the technical, administrative and medical staff, which has been reflected in the team’s results during the recent period.
Hossam Hassan: Salah responded well to my methods and will benefit with his new club
The manager spoke about his relationship with Mohamed Salah, saying: “The relationship between us is based on mutual respect, and Salah is an intelligent player with great experience”.
He concluded his remarks by emphasizing that he had given the national team captain new technical roles on the field, adding: “I am presenting Salah in a different way, where he moves freely in more than one position but within an organized tactical framework, and I believe that this will also benefit him with his new club in the future”.
