🏀 Pharaohs Reveal AfroBasket 2026 Squad with Big Continental Ambitions
Rafik Youssef, head coach of Egypt’s U18 basketball national team, announced the official squad that will represent the Pharaohs at the 2026 AfroBasket Championship, which will be held in Côte d’Ivoire, after Egypt successfully secured qualification for the continental finals. 🇪🇬🔥
The squad announcement comes after a long period of preparations and intensive technical work, as the coaching staff aims to build a competitive team capable of representing Egypt in the best possible way and challenging the strongest African basketball nations.
📢 12 Players Included in Egypt’s Continental Squad
The Egypt U18 national team squad includes 12 players selected by the coaching staff after careful evaluation during the previous period:
⭐ Ramy Magdy
⭐ Bejad Mostafa
⭐ Mostafa Tamer
⭐ Hussein Youssef
⭐ Omar Ehab
⭐ Seif Hammad
⭐ Mohamed Khaled
⭐ Bilal Sohaib
⭐ Zain El Din Ahmed
⭐ Asaad Qaidar
⭐ Ahmed Osama
⭐ Mohamed Ghandour
The coaching staff is relying on this group of players to achieve the team’s goals in the tournament, especially with the squad featuring a combination of individual skills and physical abilities needed for strong African competition.
🏆 Egypt Targets the African Title Challenge
Egypt enters the 2026 AfroBasket Championship with major ambitions of achieving positive results and reaching the furthest possible stage, especially after proving its ability to compete during the qualification campaign.
The Egyptian team qualified for the finals after finishing second in the fifth region qualifiers, which were recently held at Cairo Stadium Hall, securing its place among the continent’s top participating teams.
This qualification represents an important step for the current generation of players, who hope to create a new chapter in Egyptian basketball history at youth level and gain valuable experience against different African basketball schools.
🔥 Pharaohs Drawn in Tough Group with Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, and Nigeria
The AfroBasket U18 draw placed Egypt in Group A alongside hosts Côte d’Ivoire, as well as Chad and Nigeria.
The group represents a strong challenge for the Pharaohs, especially with the presence of teams that have experience in African basketball, requiring maximum concentration from both players and coaching staff.
The technical staff hopes to use the group-stage matches to reach the highest possible technical and physical level before the decisive knockout rounds.
⚡ Tournament Format Gives Strong Teams a Chance
The 2026 AfroBasket Championship features 12 participating teams, with the competition taking place in a single-round league format within three groups.
The top eight teams will qualify for the quarter-finals, where rankings will be determined based on victories and point difference before deciding the knockout-stage matchups.
Quarter-final fixtures will be:
🏀 First place vs Eighth place
🏀 Second place vs Seventh place
🏀 Third place vs Sixth place
🏀 Fourth place vs Fifth place
⭐ Great Hopes for Egypt’s New Basketball Generation
Egypt’s U18 national team represents one of the important future projects for Egyptian basketball, as the federation aims to develop new generations capable of competing in continental and international tournaments.
Basketball fans in Egypt are eagerly waiting for the Pharaohs’ appearance at AfroBasket 2026, hoping that the team continues delivering strong performances and achieving results worthy of Egypt’s status in African basketball. 🇪🇬🏆
Ultimately, the tournament will be a valuable opportunity for this generation to prove its abilities, gain new experience, and continue developing toward higher levels in the coming years. 🏀✨
