Head coach of the Egyptian national team, Hossam Hassan is bracing himself for what he describes to be a "difficult competition" in Morocco.
Hassan was reacting to the draw of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations held in Rabat on Monday evening where the record holders, with seven titles to their name were drawn in Group B against South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe.
The Pharaohs' last TotalEnergies CAF AFCON title was 15-years ago when they won the competition in Angola, with the coveted title since being elusive to them in recent years.
"The competition will be difficult, of course, due to the presence of big teams in the tournament, headed by Morocco, Algeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal and other teams with a long history in the Africa Cup of Nations, but we are ready, God willing, and we will do our best to achieve the title and make the Egyptians happy" said a confident Hossam.
This will mark Egypt's 27th appearance at the finals, a tournament that they have previously dominated with their now coach, Hossam Hassan being involved in three of their titles.
Interestingly, Hassan's first TotalEnergies CAF AFCON title was in Morocco during the 1988 edition.
The former striker went on to do it again twice on home soil in 1998 as well as in 2006.
Commenting on the former champions' chances of doing well at the competition, the coach emphasised the rich history of the nation's performance at the tournament and that the squad will be led by experienced campaigners with a blend of exciting youth.
"Of course, as Egypt we won the most African Nations titles, we always play to achieve championships, and this will be our goal. We have major senior players, headed by Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush and Trezegué, and the best clubs in Africa, Al-Ahly and Zamalek, and young players, who have shone with us in the recent years" said the coach.
The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 will take place between 21 December 2025 - 18 January 2026.