The , nicknamed ''The Pharaohs'', is the national team of
Egypt and is administered by the
Egyptian Football Association . They were the first from an African country to participate in the
World Cup when they played in
1934 , losing to
Hungary 4-2. Egypt has qualified for one World Cup since then, going out in the first round in
1990 . They were known as the ''United Arab Republic national football team'' when Egypt and
Syria joined to form the
United Arab Republic from
1958 to
1961 and then until
1970 , with Egypt alone making up the UAR.
Egypt won the inaugural
African Nations Cup in
1957 , and also won the tournament in
1959 ,
1986 ,
1998 , and
2006 .
