For father, son and country: Egypt finally triumph

It was long before Mostafa Shoubir was born. Long before his parents entered the world, and even before several of his grandparents, when Egypt first stepped onto football’s grandest stage at the FIFA World Cup.

That debut ended in disappointment, with the Pharaohs suffering a 4-2 defeat to Hungary in Naples in 1934. Over the following decades, Egypt’s World Cup journey was marked by frustration -- a return to Italy in 1990 without a victory, years of failed qualification campaigns, and further heartbreak at Russia 2018.

On a warm evening in Vancouver, however, history was finally rewritten.

Egypt came from behind to defeat New Zealand 3-1 in a crucial Group G encounter, securing the nation's first-ever FIFA World Cup victory and ending one of the tournament’s longest-standing records. The win also erased the unwanted distinction of being the team with the longest gap between playing their first World Cup match and recording a first win.

For goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir, the moment was deeply personal.

The first person he contacted after the final whistle was his mother.

“I FaceTimed my mother,” Shoubir told FIFA. “She celebrated in the Egyptian way -- Egyptians will understand how she celebrated.”

“After that I spoke with my father and my fiancée. Everyone is so happy,” he added.

The conversation with his father carried special significance. Ahmed Shoubir, a former Egypt international, was part of the squad that competed at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, where Egypt’s wait for a World Cup win continued.

Born a decade after that tournament, Mostafa Shoubir has now become part of a generation that finally broke the drought.

The victory not only secured a historic milestone but also lifted Egypt to the top of Group G, strengthening hopes of a deep run in the tournament.

Struggling to find words to describe the achievement, Shoubir admitted the occasion was overwhelming.

“Getting the first win for our country, it's just something... I don't know, I don't have the words. I'm speechless. It's truly something great,” he said.

“We're so happy to have achieved this. It's the first one for Egypt in our history and, inshallah, it's not the last one.”

The goalkeeper believes the breakthrough could be the start of something bigger for the Pharaohs.

“Of course I'm super proud. We're all super proud, not only me,” he said. “I think, inshallah, it's not going to be the last game we win. Rather, this is the first of many wins, and now we'll see just how far we can go.”