Egypt’s national football team will return to its training base in Spokane city in Washington, the USA, after a request to remain in Seattle ahead of its final FIFA World Cup group-stage match against Iran was rejected by local security authorities, according to the Egyptian Football Association (EFA).
The team had hoped to stay in Seattle to reduce travel fatigue ahead of Friday’s final group-stage match against Iran at Lumen Field.
However, team manager Ibrahim Hassan said in a statement that security authorities rejected the request, meaning the delegation will return to Spokane before travelling back to Seattle later this week.
The EFA did not specify which security authority denied the request or provide further details on the reason behind the decision.
Egypt secured its first-ever FIFA World Cup victory on Monday to defeat New Zealand 3-1, with Mohamed Salah among the scorers. The result kept Egypt’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stage alive ahead of its final Group match against Iran on Friday.
Spokane has served as Egypt’s training base during the tournament, while Seattle is hosting the team’s final group-stage fixture. The two cities are approximately 450 kilometres apart by road, making additional travel a logistical challenge as teams prepare for matches during the tournament.
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