Coach: David Davis

 

Key players: Mohamed Mamdouh Shebib (Line player), Karim Hendawy (Goalkeeper), Yehia Elderaa (Left back)

 

Qualification information: 2018 African Men’s Handball Championship – Runners-up

 

History in tournament: 1938-1961: DNP, 1964: 14th, 1967-1990: DNP, 1993: 12th, 1995: 6th, 1997: 6th, 1999: 7th, 2001: 4th, 2003: 15th, 2005: 14th, 2007: 17th, 2009: 14th, 2011: 14th, 2013: 16th, 2015: 14th, 2017: 13th

 

Egypt may not have made it past the eighth-finals at the 2017 World Championship in France, but their performances and the age of many of the most talented players on court made it clear they were a squad to watch for the future. Two years later, their rising stars have more experience and they arrive with a new coach in the form of Spaniard David Davis – it will be very interesting to see how far Egypt have come since France 2017.

 

At France 2017, Egypt faced three of the same opponents they will meet in the group phase at GER/DEN 2019: Sweden, Qatar and Argentina. It was the opening win against Qatar at France 2017 that made everyone sit up and take notice, as the African team beat the 2015 World Championship runners-up 22:20 with a powerful performance. Egypt also defeated Argentina comfortably, but lost to Sweden, who would go on to win the silver medal at the European championship one year later.

 

Players such as goalkeeper Karim Hendawy, line player Mohamed Mamdouh Shebib and then 21-year-old left back Yehia Elderaa were already beginning to shine alongside long-time Egyptian superstar Ahmed El-Ahmar at France 2017 – and all three have gained further experience. Hendawy joined Champions League side Besiktas in Turkey for the 2017/18 season, and Elderaa played in Denmark with Ribe/Esbjerg for a year. None can compare with Mamdouh’s experience and achievements however, as the line player was recruited by French club Montpellier and went on to win the Champions League trophy in 2018.

 

All three can be expected to play a key role at GER/DEN 2019, but they are far from alone in a squad brimming with potential and determination – and might be helped by the arrival of a new coach. Spaniard David Davis, who won three Champions League titles and one Olympic bronze as a player and has since added a Champions League title as assistant coach with HC Vardar to his record, was appointed in the position in the spring of 2018.

 

Egypt qualified for the World Championship as the runners-up at the African Championship in 2018. It was their sixth silver medal at the event, along with a collection of six trophies. Since the eighth-final format was implemented in 2013, Egypt have never made it past this stage – in 2017, they were eliminated by Croatia in the round of 16. With the return of the main round format, Egypt can logically not have the goal of qualifying for the quarter-finals, but they will certainly be aiming high and deserve to do so.

 

To prepare for GER/DEN 2019, Egypt took part in a friendly tournament in Latvia end of December 2018, winning all their matches against Belgium (28:19), Ukraine (25:24) and the hosts (38:24).

Egypt will host the 27th IHF Men’s World Championship in 2021, so this will be a special campaign for them as they focus on both the near results and building for the future.

 

Follow Egypt on their website and Facebook channel.

 

Group at Germany/Denmark 2019
Group D: Egypt, Sweden, Hungary, Qatar, Argentina, Angola

 

Games at Germany/Denmark 2019

All times local

 

Friday 11 January Egypt vs Sweden (20:30)
Sunday 13 January Qatar vs Egypt (15:30)
Monday 14 January Argentina vs Egypt (18:00)
Wednesday 16 January Hungary vs Egypt (18:00)
Thursday 17 January Egypt vs Angola (15:30)

 

IHF & Germany/Denmark 2019 Official Channels

Follow the 2019 IHF Men’s Handball World Championship on our website as well as on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. And make sure you don’t miss anything on the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram channels.

 

Photo: Egyptian Handball Federation