CAIRO – The Egyptian U-20 national team, nicknamed the Young Pharaohs, is one of the 12 teams competing at this year’s U-20 African Cup of Nations which kicks off from February 19 to March 11, 2023.
The Young Pharaohs will enjoy home support as they search for their fifth continental crown in the U-20 African Cup of Nations.
The tournament will be played across three cities: Cairo, Ismailia and Alexandria.
Egypt enters the tournament with two goals, the first is to book a ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup, and the second is to win the biennial jamboree with the support of the home faithful.
Four-time African champions Egypt were drawn in Group A alongside Mozambique, Nigeria and Senegal, and they will play all their group stage matches at Cairo International Stadium.
History in U-20 AFCON
Egypt has a rich history in the tournament, and they will be looking to continue that rich history on home soil when they welcome the 11 countries that have qualified for the U-20 African Cup of Nations.
They won the tournament in 2013 on penalties against Ghana to make it four U-20 AFCON titles following their successes in 1981, 1991 and 2003.
The Pharaohs have one silver medal to their name in 2005 and three bronze titles having finished third in 1993, 2001 and 2011 respectively.
Local Football
The Egyptian Premier League is considered the strongest local championship in Africa due to its competitive nature. It has some of Africa’s biggest teams in Al-Ahly and their local rivals Zamalek.
Al-Ahly has won 10 CAF Champions League titles while Zamalek have also won both the Champions and Confederation Cup.
Egyptian teams have had a good record in the continental tournaments and recently Pyramids also made their presence felt in the league and CAF competitions.
The Coach
Mahmoud Gaber is the man tasked to oversee the Egyptian side in the 23rd edition of the tournament.
The former Ismaily player has been working with his charges for the past months at home with selected friendlies to fine-tune his boys for the task ahead.
He will be hoping to guide the Pharaohs to another continental triumph when they kick off the tournament against Mozambique on Sunday at 4:00pm Cairo Local Time at the Cairo International Stadium.
Players to watch
The home fans will be supporting their team during the tournament and some of them will be hoping to see their talented players perform when the tournament kicks off.
Arab Contractors defender Omar Fayed is one of the star defenders in the team and coach Mahmoud Gaber will be counting on him to protect his goal.
Karim el-Debis of Al-Ahly and Panathinaikos’ Bilal Mazharthe are also players to watch from the Egyptian side during the tournament.
Match Schedule (Group A)
February 19: Egypt vs Mozambique, 4:00pm CLT, Cairo Int’l Stadium
February 22: Egypt vs, Nigeria, 7:00pm CLT, Cairo Int’l Stadium
February 25: Egypt vs Senegal, 7:00pm CLT, Cairo Int’l Stadium
