You’d be surprised to know that despite Egypt‘s tremendous success at AFCON, a record seven trophies, Mo Salah has yet to participate in any recent triumphs. Salah barely missed out on the 2021 tournament trophy, with his former Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane of Senegal winning his country’s first.
With Salah suiting up to reverse fortunes at AFCON 2023, let’s look closely at Egypt’s prior triumphs.
First Triumph (1957): Egypt won the inaugural AFCON in 1957 held in Sudan. They won both their matches – a semi-final against hosts Sudan (2-1) and the final against Ethiopia (4-0). Center forward Ad-Diba scored all four goals in the final match, making him the first hat trick artist in the history of AFCON.
Back-to-Back Victories (1959): Egypt defended its title in 1959, a tournament that featured only three teams and was hosted by Egypt. They won both games in this round-robin format against Ethiopia (4-0) and Sudan (2-1).
In the first match, Mahmoud El-Gohary scored a hat-trick, while winger Essam Baheeg scored both goals for the Pharaohs against Sudan. El-Gohary later became coach of the national team, winning the tournament as boss in 1998.
1986 Victory (Cairo): After nearly a three-decade-long gap, Egypt finally won their third AFCON title in 1986, hosting the tournament. Despite a defeat in the team’s first match, they won the final against Cameroon in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw.
1998, another team victory (Burkina Faso): Led by Ahmed Hassan, Egypt won their fourth AFCON title against South Africa in Stade du 4-Août in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Hassan went on to win three more AFCON titles with Egypt during the golden era — he played in eight consecutive AFCONs (1996,1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010).
21st Century Dominance (2006, 2008, 2010): Egypt’s golden era in the AFCON took place from 2006 to 2010, where they won three consecutive titles. Mohamed Aboutrika, Ahmed Hassan, and Essam El-Hadary played pivotal roles in their team’s victories.
- 2006: Hosted in Egypt, they defeated Cote d’Ivoire in the final in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw.
- 2008: In Ghana, Egypt retained the title, beating Cameroon 1-0 in the final.
- 2010: Egypt completed their hat-trick of titles in Angola with a 1-0 victory over Ghana in the final.
Can Egypt, led by Mo Salah in the 2023 AFCON, recreate the magic of past triumphs?
Photo: Instagram/EFASocial
