Egypt signs World Cup sponsorship agreement with FIFA
The World Cup kicks off today: The world’s most-watched sports event will kick off in a few hours, with the first match being played between Russia and Saudi Arabia. You can tap or click here for the full World Cup schedule.
Saudi meets Russia at 5pm today.
Egypt meets Uruguay at 2pm CLT tomorrow.
Mo Salah back in training: The star striker returned yesterday to light training with his teammates for the first time since his shoulder injury last month, according to the Egyptian Football Association (EFA). He also took part in individual training supervised by the national team’s physiotherapist (watch, runtime: 01:18). Although the final decision has not been made, Reuters reports that team coach Hector Cuper is “optimistic” that he will make it to Egypt’s first World Cup match against Uruguay tomorrow, which also marks his 26th birthday.
With Salah back on his feet, Egypt is seen as the Arab region’s standard bearer at the World Cup among Arab youth, according to Gulf News. More than a third of young Arabs polled believe Egypt will get further in the championship than Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia, and around 11% said they would support Egypt — “making the Pharaohs almost as popular as Argentina (12%).”
Veteran goalkeeper Essam El Hadary is also on track to make history by breaking the Guinness World Record for the oldest player to ever participate in the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Egypt has signed on with FIFA to become an Official Regional Supporter of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the Investment Ministry announced in a statement. The “Egypt — Experience & Invest” campaign aims to promote the country as a global investment destination and attract more tourists through social media and on screens broadcasting the World Cup games on Russian streets.