Ibrahim Adel, who started in Egypt’s recent match against Guinea-Bissau in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, expressed his happiness with the team’s qualification, noting that the team’s focus will now shift to the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

Egypt secured an easy 1-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau on Sunday evening in the tenth and final round of the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, amid celebratory atmosphere for qualifying to the World Cup.

Adel said in a TV statement: “We will celebrate today and are happy to qualify for the World Cup. We will close this chapter. We have a big goal in the Africa Cup of Nations and we will not be mere guests; we want to win the title.”

Regarding his football future, the player emphasized his ambition to experience European professional football, adding: “I am trying to develop myself and achieve my dream of playing professionally in Europe, and through the club and the national team, I will achieve my ambition.”

Responding to rumors about an offer from Al Ahly club, Adel settled the matter by confirming his commitment to his current club: “I play for Al Jazira and respect the club. I am not thinking about anything else, and through Al Jazira, I will go pro in Europe, which is my goal.”

Egypt qualified for the World Cup for the fourth time, topping Group A in the African qualifiers with 26 points from 10 matches, achieving 8 wins and 2 draws, without any defeats.

The lineup for Egypt against Guinea-Bissau included: “Goalkeeper Mohamed Sobhi; defenders Mohamed Hany, Rami Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Mohamed Hamdy; midfielders Mohannad Lasheen, Ahmed Nabil Kouka, Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet; and the attacking trio Ahmed Sayed Zizo, Ibrahim Adel, and Mostafa Mohamed.”

The substitutes list included: “Mostafa Shobeir, Abdel Aziz Belouty, Hossam Abdel Meguid, Amr Elgazar, Khaled Sobhi, Ahmed Eid, Mahmoud Saber, Mostafa Fathi, Osama Faisal.”

The full Egypt squad included: “Mohamed El-Shenawy, Mostafa Shobeir, Mohamed Sobhi, Abdel Aziz Belouty, Mohamed Hany, Ahmed Eid, Rami Rabia, Khaled Sobhi, Yasser Ibrahim, Amr Elgazar, Hossam Abdel Meguid, Mohamed Hamdy, Ahmed Nabil Kouka, Marwan Atiya, Hamdy Fathi, Mohannad Lasheen, Mahmoud Saber, Ahmed Sayed Zizo, Mahmoud Trezeguet, Ibrahim Adel, Mostafa Fathi, Mohamed Salah, Mostafa Mohamed, Osama Faisal.”

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has set December 5 as the date for the draw of the 2026 World Cup, which will feature 48 teams for the first time in history, in the US capital, Washington.