The feeling was inescapable: that first match might have gone differently if Salah had been on the pitch.
Egypt has returned to the World Cup stage after missing the 2022 tournament, carrying both the hope of a nation and the weight of a history that has never yielded a single victory in three prior appearances. The shadow of Kyiv in 2018 — where a controversial foul by Sergio Ramos left Mohamed Salah injured and Egypt diminished before the tournament even began — reminds us how fragile the distance is between a nation's dream and its undoing. This qualification is not merely a sporting achievement; it is a second chance, and the world will be watching to see whether Egypt's greatest player can arrive whole.
- Egypt's return to the World Cup carries the sting of 2022's absence and three previous appearances without a single win — the pressure to finally break through is immense.
- The ghost of the 2018 Champions League final lingers: Ramos's arm-lock on Salah, uncarded and unpunished, cost Egypt their star player at the worst possible moment and may have cost them their best shot at a first World Cup victory.
- The outrage that followed was global — lawsuits threatened, petitions signed by millions, even judoka condemning the move — yet nothing changed the result, and Salah played the rest of the tournament visibly diminished.
- Egypt has never won a World Cup match across 1934, 1990, and 2018, a record that sits in painful contrast to their seven African Cup of Nations titles and continental dominance.
- As the tournament approaches, the central anxiety is not tactical but physical: keeping Salah healthy from now until the opening whistle is Egypt's most urgent mission.
Egypt is back at the World Cup, and the relief is real — they were shut out of 2022 by Senegal on penalties in the African playoffs. But the joy of qualification arrives wrapped in an old wound. In May 2018, during the Champions League final in Kyiv, Sergio Ramos brought Mohamed Salah down with an arm lock that forced Egypt's most important player off the pitch with a shoulder injury. No card was shown. Real Madrid won. The fallout was extraordinary: an Egyptian lawyer threatened a million-dollar lawsuit, over a million people signed a petition demanding FIFA act, and even athletes from other sports condemned the move. None of it changed anything.
Salah missed Egypt's opening World Cup match against Uruguay. They lost in the final minute. He returned for the second game, visibly not himself, scoring a penalty but falling 3-1 to Russia. By the third match, already eliminated, he scored again against Saudi Arabia — but Egypt went home with no wins across the group stage. The sense among observers was hard to shake: that first match might have been different with a fit Salah on the pitch.
Egypt's World Cup record is sparse and painful — three appearances in 1934, 1990, and 2018, and not a single victory. It is a strange contrast for a nation that has won the African Cup of Nations seven times and long set the standard on the continent. Salah himself has been runner-up twice, in 2017 and 2021, but the World Cup has remained out of reach.
Now, with qualification secured, the hope is straightforward: that Egypt's best player arrives at the tournament healthy, and that the memory of Kyiv serves as a warning rather than a prophecy.
Egypt has made it back to the World Cup, and the country's football community is holding its breath. The qualification itself is a relief—they missed 2022 entirely, shut out in the African playoffs by Senegal on penalties. But there is a shadow hanging over this moment, one that reaches back seven years to a Champions League final and a tackle that still stings.
In May 2018, Real Madrid faced Liverpool in Kyiv. Early in the first half, with the score still level, Sergio Ramos brought down Mohamed Salah with an arm lock that forced the Egyptian winger off the field with a shoulder injury. No yellow card was issued. The incident sparked outrage that rippled far beyond football—an Egyptian lawyer announced plans to sue Ramos for a million dollars in damages, though the threat appears never to have materialized. Over a million people signed a petition demanding FIFA punish the Madrid captain. Even judoka weighed in, arguing that the move would have been illegal under the rules of their sport. Ramos played on. Real Madrid won the trophy.
Salah missed Egypt's opening match at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Uruguay scored in the final minute. Egypt lost. In the second game, Salah returned but was visibly not himself—still recovering, still not at full strength. He converted a penalty against Russia but Egypt fell 3-1. By the third match, already eliminated, Salah scored again against Saudi Arabia, but it was not enough. The team went home with no wins, two draws, and five losses across three World Cup appearances. The feeling among observers was inescapable: that first match against Uruguay might have gone differently if Salah had been on the pitch.
Egypt's history at the World Cup is thin and painful. They have appeared three times—1934, 1990, and 2018—and never won a single match. It is a record that sits uneasily alongside their continental dominance. In Africa, Egypt is the gold standard. They have won the African Cup of Nations seven times, most recently in 2010, when Salah was eighteen and not yet in the squad. He has been runner-up twice since then, in 2017 and 2021.
Now Egypt is back at the World Cup, and the anxiety is real. Salah is older, more experienced, and more crucial to his team's hopes than ever. The question is not whether he will play—it is whether he will stay healthy. The memory of Kyiv, of a moment that changed the trajectory of a tournament, is still fresh. As Egypt prepares for the competition ahead, the hope is simple: that this time, their best player will make it to the opening whistle intact.
Notable Quotes
An Egyptian lawyer announced plans to sue Ramos for a million dollars in damages, though the threat appears never to have materialized.— Egyptian legal response to the 2018 incident
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a single injury from 2018 still matter so much to Egypt's World Cup hopes?
Because it cost them their best chance in that tournament. Salah was their only world-class player, and without him for the match that mattered most, they never recovered. It's not just about one game—it's about what might have been.
But that was seven years ago. Surely Egypt has moved on?
They qualified for 2022 and didn't make it. They've been waiting, and now they're back. But the wound hasn't healed because the underlying problem hasn't changed—they're still fragile, still dependent on one player staying healthy.
What makes the Ramos incident so different from other fouls in football?
It wasn't just the foul itself. It was that nothing happened to him. No card, no suspension, no consequence. A million people signed a petition. It felt like the system failed, and Egypt paid the price.
Do you think Egypt can actually win a World Cup match this time?
They have to. They've never done it in three tries. But with Salah fit and the team more experienced, maybe. The real question is whether they can keep him on the field.
What would success look like for Egypt at this World Cup?
A win in the group stage would be historic. Anything beyond that would be extraordinary. But first, they just need to get through without another injury.