The FIFA World Cup has kicked off and the eyes of millions upon millions, football fans or not, are on the teams battling it out in Qatar.
Unlike in the last edition of the tournament, Egypt did not qualify, losing to Senegal after a tense penalty shootout earlier this year. But Egyptian football fans are no strangers to enjoying from the sidelines, as Egypt only competed in the tournament three times: in Italy in 1934, in Italy again in 1990, and in Russia in 2018.
Since Egyptians will not be able to don their own colours in support of their country this time around, Egyptian Streets asked readers whether they would be watching this year’s World Cup, who they are supporting instead, and who they expect to emerge victorious.
Some are loyal to the region
“Madly proud that the World Cup is in the Arab region. I expect high performances from Arab and African teams, but in the end, one of these is going to grab the cup: Argentina, Spain, or Portugal.”
– Mohammed Badawi
“Casually watching and rooting for Morocco! Got to stand by our North African brothers!”
– Mariam Imam
Others are loyal to the GOATs’ final campaigns
“Not supporting any team on particular, but I would be happy if Argentina won since it’s Messi’s last World Cup.”
– Omnia Abdel-kader
“I am rooting for 4 teams: Argentina and Portugal for Messi and Ronaldo, and then there are Brazil and the Netherlands.”
– Ahmed AbuZekry
And some to both
“Definitely watching, have family members that are going. Would love for Argentina to win for Messi but supporting every African and Arab country.”
– Ahmed El Saied
“Supporting all African nations. Long shot of course but if not then rooting for the GOAT [greatest of all time] Messi to win it.”
– Mohamed Mokhtar
Some honour their connections with certain competing countries
“Of course! As a football fan, I cannot miss the biggest international competition there is! I will be rooting for France because I grew up there. But I’m also rooting for Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia and Cameroon, as they will be representing Africa. However I’m not very optimistic to how far France will go. And I cannot put my finger on a potential winner, so I guess that makes every game more exciting.”
– Aliaa El-Alaily
“Yes, I’ll be watching. Brazil, Argentina, France, and Germany are the strongest candidates. I will support Brazil because my first World Cup was 2002 with [the Brazilian] Ronaldo, and they finally have a team that may win.”
– Omar Riad
“I think either France or Brazil will win the World Cup, but I hope Germany wins. I’ve always supported Germany because they play more like a team rather than relying on individuals or star players, and they are very consistent in terms of progress in the World Cup or any other international competition.”
– Amr Helwa
Others follow the stars of their clubs
“Definitely yes. I think Brazil will win. I’m not supporting any one team, it’s more about specific players. And by specific players, I mean Real Madrid players.”
– Zeineldin Elkhabiry
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