Egypt become the first African nation to play in the World Cup, 1934
Chris Oakley | 20 February 2026
Only 13 teams took part in the 1930 World Cup. For that inaugural tournament, most of the invited countries had justifiable reasons for not making the trip to Uruguay — especially those from Europe. A lengthy journey by boat to South America was a considerable factor, as was the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Many countries simply couldn't afford the extravagance of a Uruguayan odyssey. Ultimately, Europe was represented by only four teams in that first World Cup.
When the second tournament was hosted by Italy in 1934, the boot was on the other foot. In response to Europe's lack of commitment in 1930, South American teams were conspicuous by their absence. Of the 16 teams that qualified, 12 were European and of those from outside the continent, one represented Africa for the first time — Egypt.
Their route to the finals was relatively straightforward. Only one spot was allocated to a team from Africa and Asia, so Egypt were drawn in Group Four of the qualifying round along with Turkey and Palestine. Turkey withdrew before a ball had been kicked, so a two-legged match was arranged against Palestine, a British mandate team composed largely of British players.
The first leg in Cairo effectively confirmed Egypt's place in the 1934 finals. A 7-1 win ensured Egypt needed only to concentrate on damage limitation in the second leg. In Tel Aviv, they won 4-1 to seal an 11-2 aggregate win.
The second World Cup employed a knockout format for the first round, and Egypt were drawn to play Hungary. Though the Europeans were one of the fancied outsiders, Egypt had reason to be hopeful. They'd beaten Hungary 3-0 in the Olympic football tournament of 1924 — a shock result at the time — and had reached the semi-finals four years later in Amsterdam. They'd even held the Hungarians to a goalless draw in a Cairo friendly in 1932.
At the Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli in Naples, however, they started badly. Hungary were 2-0 up after 31 minutes, and Egypt were staring at a heavy defeat. But just four minutes later, Abdulrahman Fawzi became the first African player to score a World Cup goal, and added a second four minutes after that.
Jenő Vincze of Hungary (right) crosses ahead of Egypt's Hassan El-Far (left).
Sadly for Egypt, the second half belonged to Hungary. Shortly after the restart, Jenő Vincze and Géza Toldi restored the two-goal advantage, although Fawzi nearly bagged a hat-trick. His third 'goal', scored after a dribbling run through the Hungarian defence, was ruled offside. Many questioned the decision by referee Rinaldo Barlassina, but Fawzi's moment of personal triumph was denied him.
Egypt lost 4-2 to Hungary, and though they would not return to the World Cup until 1990, they remained the only African side to reach the finals until 1970. It was a landmark achievement — one that undoubtedly secured Egypt's place in the history of the tournament.