It was the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship and Egypt provided one of the most nail-biting matches in the history of the competition, when they faced Denmark, the reigning world champions, in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as the IHF organised the first major event in team sports in the world, fans were not allowed in the stands in the Cairo Indoor Stadium Complex, but tens of millions watched the African powerhouse take the game to Denmark and push it into extra-time and then penalties.

Eventually, Denmark won on penalties, scoring four, while Egypt managed only three goals, with the decisive penalty being missed by the African’s side left back, Ali Zein. That match took place three and a half years ago, but it is still fresh in Egypt’s memory.

“For me the game in Egypt, against Denmark, it was like the best experience I have ever had in all my life. During the game, we were both winning and losing. We were disappointed. We were proud. We had all the possible feelings, and it was difficult to have all these experiences in one game. We played 80 minutes, so for us it was a big experience,” says Zein now.

But did it help shape this Egypt team?

“I think this experience made us have more confidence,” adds Zein, after Egypt secured their second consecutive quarter-finals berth at the Olympic Games, with three wins in five matches, including one against Norway and a draw against hosts France at Paris 2024.

This Egypt side has it all – experience, strength, and a huge amount of talent. They are probably a side which any other opponent would want to avoid if possible, as they have proven over the last years that they can win against any side on a given day, when Egypt are at their best.

In the five matches in the preliminary round, they won against Hungary (35:32), Norway (26:25) and Argentina (34:27), allowing France to come back to seal a draw in the last second, 26:26. The match against Denmark also provided an exciting comeback, after the African side was down 10 goals at the break, only to cut the gap to three goals, 27:30.

Once again, Egypt are in the quarter-finals, after securing that performance also at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, when the African side made the semi-finals, but conceded two losses to finish the competition, ending up on the fourth place and missing out on a medal in dramatic fashion.

For a team which lacked a bit of consistency in the past, they have been remarkably disciplined and well-polished. Can they go even further at their eighth appearance in the Olympics?

“We need to improve what we did in Tokyo, that is quite easy. This will be something that makes us more confident, makes us tougher, makes us understand that with our discipline, with us playing hard and always at 100%. This will make us understand that we are always strong,” adds Zein.

Now at 34 years old, Zein is one of the most experienced Egypt sides, which has nurtured an absolutely fantastic generation, with players contributing from every side on the court. Take, for example, the back line with Yehia Elderaa and Yahia Omar, who were teammates in the last two seasons also at club level, for Telekom Veszprem.

Right wing Mohamed Sanad is also one of the most reliable players on his position. While line player Ahmed Adel was one of the most improved players at Paris 2024, being the sixth top scorer of the competition, with 26 goals, and an excellent 74% efficiency of the shots he had.

But for Egypt, that great start will not matter too much if the performance at Tokyo 2020, currently their best-ever at the Olympics, will not be improved, with their new coach, Juan Carlos Pastor, currently at his first major international competition with the African squad, underlining the step-by-step approach and the importance of the quarter-finals.

Zein agrees and hopes that the roller-coaster experiences Egypt had in the last years will help the team make that step further and secure the maiden medal in a major intercontinental competition for the African champions.

For him it is quite easy to say what Egypt need to achieve their objective.

“We need to beat a team which is better than us.”