The Egyptian national team coach, Hossam Hassan, asked team captain Mohamed Salah to remove his cap before a group photo was taken of the team’s delegation upon their arrival in the US to participate in the World Cup – and what happened next went viral online.
According to videos circulating on social media, Hassan was seen gesturing to Salah that he needed to remove his cap before the photo, a request to which the Egyptian star initially complied.
But Salah then quickly put his hat back on again as soon as Hassan turned around and the official photoshoot began, RT reported on Wednesday.
The Egyptian national team is participating in its fourth World Cup, after the 1934, 1990, and 2018 editions.
This time, it seeks to break the group stage curse and achieve an unprecedented feat for Egyptian football on the world stage.
Egypt is in Group G of the 2026 World Cup, alongside Belgium, Iran, and New Zealand.
