Egypt taking part in the 2023 FIBA Men's World Cup is a significant milestone for its national basketball team. The fact that the team was able to qualify after the grueling African qualifiers show the leaps and bounds of progress this team has made.
It is important to shed some light on Egypt's historical significance in basketball to better understand the country’s current status in International Basketball. The Egyptian National Basketball team has been actively competing since the 1936 Olympics and competed in its first World Cup tournament in 1950 hosted by Argentina.
They finished their inaugural world cup campaign by claiming the fifth spot behind Argentina (champions), the U.S., Chile, and Brazil. Since 1950, team Egypt has never managed to win two games in a single tournament and are yet to win a world cup encounter since 1994.
In AfroBasket however, Egypt is one of the most decorated Basketball nations in the continent with a record 17 medals in 24 appearances, five of which are Gold, but have struggled in recent years to win it all.
In the African Qualifiers that began one month after AfroBasket 2021, Egypt registered eight wins in 12 games and became one of five nations to qualify from Africa along with Angola, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, and South Sudan.
Team Egypt FIBA World Cup Squad (Extended)
The following 20-man roster was revealed by the Egyptian Basketball Federation on August 1:
| Player Name | Position | Date of Birth |
| Amr Elgendy | Point guard | June 14, 1991 (32 years old) |
| Amr Zahran | Shooting guard | October 6, 2001 (21 years old) |
| Karim Hatem Elgizawy | Point guard | 18 years old |
| Adam Moussa | Point guard | July 14, 2002 (21 years old) |
| Yusuf Shehata | Point guard | January 16, 1996 (27 years old) |
| Ehab Amin | Point guard/Shooting guard | August 1, 1995 (28 years old) |
| Waleed Abdelgawad | Not available | Not available |
| Omar Azab | Point guard | April 5, 1998 (25 years old) |
| Anas Mahmoud | Center | May 9, 1995 (28 years old) |
| Khaled Abdelnasser | Power forward | February 15, 1999 (24 years old) |
| Youssef Aboushousha | Shooting guard | June 9, 1993 (30 years old) |
| Ahmad Khalaf | Center | February 24, 1999 (24 years old) |
| Ahmed Yasser Abdelwahab | Small forward | June 18, 2001 (22 years old) |
| Omar El Sheik | Small forward | January 1, 1997 (26 years old) |
| Patrick Gardner | Center | January 1, 2000 (23 years old) |
| Aly Ahmed | Center | March 15, 1992 (31 years old) |
| Assem Marei | Center | June 16, 1992 (31 years old) |
| Omar Oraby | Center | September 8, 1991 (31 years old) |
| Omar Hesham | Shooting guard | March 29, 1995 (28 years old) |
| Mostafa Kejo | Power forward | October 22, 1994 (28 years old) |
Important Games for Egypt
As with any competition of such magnitude, some match-ups will undoubtedly shape Egypt's path throughout the tournament. It is important to note that we will only talk about first-round encounters that we know of and will take place as part of the tournament’s daily schedule.
Beginning on August 25, Egypt will go up against the number eight-ranked team, Lithuania. Lithuania will be entering the competition with a few big names missing from the national side such as Domantas Sabonis, Edgaras Ulanovas, Marius Grigonis, Lukas Lekavicius, and a couple more.
Despite these losses, Lithuania will nonetheless enter the tournament prepared, looking to gain an easy victory over Egypt.
Their next game will be against another strong European contender in Montenegro. Led by the veterans Nikola Vucevic, Bojan Dublijevic, and Kendrick Perry among others, team Montenegro has more experienced and accomplished talent who can prove to be too much for Egypt’s potential.
Egypt’s last opponent in Group D will be Mexico. The central-African nation has all the advantages over this Egyptian team; more experienced talents, faster gameplay, better coaching and management staff, and wins over higher-ranked teams like the United States, Brazil and Puerto Rico.
These nations boast a rich basketball heritage and have been consistently competitive in international competitions. Ensuring a winning chance against these teams will require Egypt to focus heavily on restructuring its defense and improving its offensive potential.
Egypt's participation in the 2023 FIBA Men's World Cup is undoubtedly a significant milestone for the nation's basketball journey. Regardless of the competition they will face during the tournament, what truly matters is the opportunity for growth and development for players and fans alike. This competition provides a platform upon which Egypt can showcase its talent, determination, and love for the game while fostering unity among nations through sport.
FAQs
A. Egypt is ranked 55th on the FIBA world rankings.
A. Egypt’s best performance has been taking the fifth spot at the 1950 FIBA World Cup (previously world championship).
A. Egypt finished 11th in the tournament as Tunisia won its third Gold.
