Why is Egypt Not in FIFA 23? A Devastating Blow for Egyptian Fans

As FIFA 23 hits the shelves, fans of African football have noticed a disappointing omission – the Egyptian national team. Despite housing one of the world‘s top talents in Mohamed Salah, Egypt failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and is not featured as a playable team in FIFA 23. This came as a major letdown for Egyptian fans who desperately wanted to see their team on the game‘s global stage.

Egypt‘s Heartbreaking World Cup Qualifying Exit

Egypt faced a tough road to qualify for the 2022 World Cup out of Africa. Drawn into a group with African powerhouses like Senegal, Kenya, and Togo, Egypt finished second behind Senegal to make the two-legged intercontinental playoff.

After earning a vital 1-1 away draw against star-studded Senegal in the first leg, Egypt only needed a score draw at home in Alexandria to advance on the away goals rule. However, with a FIFA World Cup place on the line, Senegal emerged victorious in the penalty shootout after 120 tense goalless minutes.

Salah stepping up first but seeing his penalty saved set the tone for Egypt‘s nightmare. When both teams missed two penalties each, Senegal slotted their fifth while Mostafa Mohamed missed to send Senegal to Qatar. Anguish and sorrow swept across Egypt as their World Cup dream vanished.

Missing out on the World Cup for the second straight time since 1990 was agonizing for players and fans. Veteran goalkeeper El Shenawy encapsulated the pain, saying:

"We are extremely disappointed, we desperately wanted to make the fans happy once again after 28 years of waiting."

Licensing Rules Remove Egypt from FIFA 23

As the dust settled from their qualifying heartbreak, attention turned to EA Sports‘ upcoming game, FIFA 23.

FIFA‘s licensing agreement with each competition outlines which teams are featured. With Egypt not qualifying for the World Cup, EA faced restrictions around including them with official team branding.

Ultimately, Egypt did not meet the tournament participation criteria for complete integration. Only the 32 qualified World Cup teams have licenses for kits, badges, player names, stadiums, and more.

Without those licenses secured, EA omitted Egypt entirely rather than add them with generic branding. This standard is despite Egypt housing global superstar Mohamed Salah, one of the world‘s top players who appears on FIFA 23‘s cover.

Agony for Egyptian Fans Seeing Rival African Teams Included

While Egyptian supporters dealt with more anguish seeing their team left out of the game, FIFA 23 does feature several of Egypt‘s fellow African World Cup participants.

Teams like Senegal (who knocked out Egypt), Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia are all fully licensed and playable. For Egyptian fans, seeing those African rivals included while their team is not only twists the knife further.

Some of these countries even have far lower world rankings than Egypt, who sit #39 in the latest FIFA World Rankings compared to #18 for Senegal and #29 for Morocco. Yet those teams‘ participation was enough for FIFA 23 eligibility.

Hopes for Egypt‘s Return in Future Releases

While the lack of Egypt in FIFA 23 is massively disappointing, Egyptian supporters will still be crossing their fingers for better fortune next time.

The team still boasts phenomenal talent, led by global icon Mohamed Salah, that could drive future qualification campaigns. Salah already fueled Egypt to the final of the last Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

If Egypt can fight their way through qualifying for the 2026 World Cup or other major tournaments, we would expect to see them make their FIFA comeback. Qualification would unlock the licensing agreements that allow EA to include them as a playable nation again.

After the recent torment, Egyptian fans will be desperate to see their heroes represented on the virtual pitch again soon. For now, they will continue willing the team towards future redemption.