2026 World Cup: Why the Pharaohs of Egypt Were Denied Entry Into Seattle After Win vs New Zealand
- The Egyptian Football Association has confirmed that the national team was denied entry into Seattle on Monday, June 23, 2026
- The Pharaohs were coming off a historic 3-1 victory over New Zealand, a result that secured Egypt's first-ever win at the FIFA World Cup
- The seven-time AFCON winners were forced to return to their original training base in Spokane ahead of their final group stage match
Egypt Football Association have confirmed the team were denied entry into a US city hours after beating New Zealand at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The North African giants made history after they won their first-ever game at the tournament, coasting to a 3-1 win to qualify for the Round of 32, since making their debut 92 years and 25 days ago.
Finn Surman fired the Kiwis in front in the 13th minute, but Egypt came back in the second half through goals from Mostafa Ziko, Mohamed Salah and Trezeguet at BC Place in Vancouver.
Source: Getty Images
After the important victory, the North African side submitted a request to remain in Seattle to continue their preparations and avoid unnecessary travel ahead of their next fixture.
Why Egypt were denied entry into World Cup City
The Egyptian team have been denied entry to Seattle ahead of their final group stage match against Iran.
According to Al Jazeera, the Pharaohs' coach, Hossam Hassan, explained why the squad wanted to stay in Seattle. He said:
“The security authorities refused the team's request to stay in the city of Seattle as planned after the New Zealand match in the World Cup, and therefore the team's delegation will return to the city of Spokane.
“The team had wanted to travel directly to Seattle to preserve the players from travel fatigue due to the numerous trips in preparation for the Iran match on June 26.
"But following the security stance, the Egypt national team delegation will return to Spokane.”
The disruption comes as Egypt continues its push for a place in the knockout stage after a strong start to their World Cup campaign.
The Pharaohs are currently topping Group H with four points ahead of Iran and Belgium.
Source: Getty Images
Meanwhile, Iran are currently based in Tijuana, Mexico, even though all of their World Cup matches are being played in the United States.
The team had initially planned to set up its training camp in Arizona but later relocated to the Mexican border city as tensions reportedly increased between Iran and the tournament hosts.
As a result, the Iranian squad has been forced to make lengthy trips to Los Angeles for matches before returning immediately to its base in Tijuana after each game.
US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also claimed that an individual allegedly linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attempted to board Iran's flight to Los Angeles, per ESPN.
Salah reacts to Egypt’s win
Legit.ng previously reported that Mohamed Salah reacted after leading Egypt to their first-ever win at the FIFA World Cup against New Zealand.
The Egyptian national team captain was delighted with the history and urged his teammates to rally for more history by reaching the knockout stage.
Source: Legit.ng
