The Presidency
Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received a delegation from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), currently visiting Egypt as the second stop of the promotional tour for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in June 2026.
The delegation included the former Italian national team player and 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Fabio Cannavaro, Director at FIFA Headquarters in Zurich Javier Ceppi, World Cup Trophy Tour Director Sebastian Ferieu, Vice President of Coca-Cola (the sponsoring company) for Nigeria and North Africa operations Alexandros Kavassilas, and General Manager of the sponsoring company in Egypt and Sudan Hanna Haddad.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, and President of the Egyptian Football Association Engineer Hany Abo Rida.
Spokesman for the Presidency Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy stated that the FIFA delegation’s visit is part of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour. This is a historic global journey spanning 30 countries and 75 different stops worldwide, carrying the original World Cup Trophy. This tour marks the 20th anniversary of the “Trophy Tour” organized in collaboration between FIFA and Coca-Cola as an international platform to promote the FIFA World Cup 2026.
President El-Sisi welcomed the delegation, emphasizing that choosing Egypt as the second stop reflects its prominent status on the map of global sporting events, the visit is a significant opportunity to boost sports tourism and promote athletic culture among the youth. This visit also supports the state’s vision to expand the base of sports participation and enhance public engagement with major international events.
The FIFA delegation expressed their appreciation of the meeting with the President, praising Egypt’s advanced sports infrastructure and its extensive organizational expertise in hosting regional and international championships.
President El-Sisi expressed his wishes for the success of the upcoming World Cup, noting that it will be the largest in terms of participating teams. The President looked forward to positive results for the Egyptian national team and expressed his aspiration for Egypt to host the FIFA World Cup in the future.
