President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Sunday received a high-level delegation from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) during their visit to Egypt, the second stop on the global promotional tour for the FIFA World Cup, set to be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada in June 2025.
The meeting was held within the framework of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, a landmark international journey covering 30 countries and 75 stops worldwide, featuring the original World Cup trophy. The tour also marks 20 years of partnership between FIFA and Coca-Cola in organising the Trophy Tour as a global platform to promote the FIFA World Cup 2026.
President Sisi welcomed the FIFA delegation, underscoring that Egypt’s selection as the tour’s second stop reflects its distinguished standing on the global sports map, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Mohamed el-Shennawy said.
He added that the visit provides a valuable opportunity to promote sports tourism, foster sports culture among youth, and advance the state’s vision of expanding sports participation and public engagement with major international sporting events.
The FIFA delegation praised Egypt’s advanced sports infrastructure and its extensive experience in hosting regional and international tournaments, Spokesman Shennawy said, adding that President Sisi expressed hope for the success of the upcoming World Cup, noting that it will be the largest in history in terms of participating national teams.
President Sisi also voiced his aspiration for the Egyptian national team to achieve strong results and for Egypt to host the FIFA World Cup in the future.
The FIFA delegation included former Italian international and 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Fabio Cannavaro; Javier Ignacio Sippe Berdifsky, Director at FIFA headquarters in Zurich; Sebastian Firou, World Cup Trophy Tour Director; Alexandros Kafasilas, Vice President of Coca-Cola for Nigeria and North Africa; and Hana Haddad, Managing Director of Coca-Cola Egypt and Sudan. The Egyptian side was represented by Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy and Egyptian Football Association President Engineer Hany Abo Rida.
