Egypt's head coach, Hossam Hassan, has shared his thoughts after being drawn alongside Bafana Bafana for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
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At Africa's biggest football tournament later this year, South Africa will renew rivalries with several nations, but perhaps the most formidable name Hugo Broos' charges will face in the group stages is the record AFCON titleholders, Egypt.
Bafana famously eliminated the Pharaohs during the 2019 edition of the competition, held on Egyptian soil, further extending Egypt's wait for an eighth AFCON crown, which now spans 15 years.
The two sides will meet again at AFCON on Boxing Day 2025 as they battle for continental supremacy. Joining South Africa and Egypt in Group B are Angola and Zimbabwe, setting the stage for a competitive group phase.
Egypt boss Hossam Hassan has emphasised the challenge ahead and acknowledged the growth of football across the continent.
"The second group includes strong teams, especially since football in Africa is developing for the better and there are no longer weak teams, as evidenced by the results that appeared during the recent tournaments, which witnessed the brilliance of new teams in the African football sky," he said, as per Yallakora.
"The competition in the African Nations Cup will be difficult, of course, due to the presence of major teams in the tournament, led by Morocco, Algeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and other teams with a long history in the African Nations Cup."
The last time Egypt won AFCON was in 2010, but Hassan has made it clear that the nation's ambition is to reclaim the title in Morocco, backing his squad's world-class talent to end the drought.
"We are ready for the African Cup of Nations, and we will do our best to win the title and make the Egyptians happy," he added.
"We always play to achieve championships, and our goal is to win the African Cup of Nations.
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"We have great players, most notably Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush, and Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet, in addition to the presence of the best clubs in Africa, most notably Al Ahly and Zamalek. We have many young players who have appeared and shone with us during the recent period."
