Egyptian media reported that the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) received an official offer from the Brazilian national team to play a friendly match during the international break next November. The match will be held in a European stadium.
Egypt will conclude its 2026 World Cup qualifiers during the October break, as will Brazil. While the Pharaohs will begin preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled for Morocco next December, Carlo Ancelotti will work on experimenting with new ideas in several friendlies leading up to the World Cup.
According to reports, the EFA consulted national team coach Hossam Hassan about playing the match, and the captain immediately rejected the idea.
Hossam Hassan welcomed the match against Brazil, but during the March 2026 international break, rather than in November, as Egyptian coaches prefer to face two African teams in preparation for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Hossam Hassan’s decision was met with widespread discontent among Egyptian fans, who considered the match against Brazil in Europe an ideal opportunity to test the Pharaohs’ strengths before the AFCON. Some felt the coach was avoiding difficult matches for fear of being defeated and fired before the 2026 World Cup.
It should be noted that Egypt needs a win against Burkina Faso on Tuesday to officially qualify for the 2026 World Cup, regardless of the results of the final two rounds of qualifiers.
