“I have a personal vendetta against them.” The Australian star threatens the Egyptian national team before facing the World Cup

Australian national team star, Connor Metcalfe, raised the pace of the challenge before the expected confrontation against the Egyptian national team in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup, stressing that he carries a personal vendetta against the “Pharaohs” dating back to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, when the Egyptian national team denied his country from qualifying for the quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory before bidding farewell to the competition later with a loss to Brazil.

“I remember that match,” Metcalfe told Australian newspaper the bordermail. In fact, I feel like it’s become a blur in my memory. They were a very strong team physically. I just remember that the atmosphere was very hot and humid, and we did not play our best matches. They destroyed our dream. So yes, it can be said that it is an opportunity for revenge for me on a personal level.”

“We’re excited,” Metcalf added. Egypt’s match against Iran was full of excitement in its final minutes. But we know very well the quality of players they have, and we watched them play, so we have an understanding of their way of playing, their mentality, and their great desire, whether with or without the ball.”

The Egyptian and Australian national teams will meet next Friday in the round of 32 of the tournament held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, in a confrontation during which the Australian national team seeks to achieve its first victory in the qualifying rounds in the history of its participation in the World Cup.

The upcoming match will take on a nature of revenge for a number of the Australian national team players who played in that confrontation, led by Connor Metcalfe, along with Cammy Devlin and Harry Souttar, who are looking forward to making amends against the Pharaohs.

On the other hand, the current Egyptian national team squad includes four players who participated in the Tokyo match, namely: Mohamed El-Shenawy, Ahmed Fattouh, Emam Ashour, and Ibrahim Adel, which gives the confrontation an additional dimension between a group of players who previously met five years ago on the Olympic stage.