Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received the Egyptian national football team at Cairo s El-Ittihadeya Palace on Monday, following Sunday s victory, which put Egypt through to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1990, state-run news agency MENA reported.
The Egyptian team will compete in their first football World Cup in 28 years, following a dramatic 2-1 victory over Congo at Alexandria s Borg El-Arab Stadium on Sunday night.
Egypt became the second African team to secure a place in the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, the other being Nigeria, with three more African sides yet to qualify from the group stage.
Following the game, El-Sisi expressed "his happiness at the Egyptian national team s achievement, thanking the players and technical staff for their great efforts during the World Cup qualifiers," according to a statement from the president s office.
El-Sisi said the players and technical staff members set an example to follow with their determination, adding that he anticipates more success from the players in the future.
A number of Arab leaders sent messages of congratulations to the Egyptian president after Sunday s win, said the statement.
