Egypt coach Rui Vitoria has reacted to the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying draw for the African nations which was conducted last Thursday.
In the draw held in Ivory Coast, the Pharaohs, who were seeded in pot 1, found themselves drawn into Group A alongside the highest-ranked team in pot 2 Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, and Djibouti.
“I respect all the teams in the group, and anyone who wants to qualify for the most important tournament should play to win and collect the maximum number of points,” Vitoria said on learning of the draw, adding: “I fully understand the importance of qualifying for the World Cup, and I will strive hard with the rest of the coaching staff and players to achieve the dream of qualification.”
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Due to the increased number of African teams, the Caf Executive Committee announced a new qualification format, which will see teams drawn into nine groups of six teams. The winner of each group will directly qualify for the World Cup, while the four best group runners-up will participate in play-offs to determine which team will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
The first matches of the qualifiers are expected to be played in November 2023.