Soccer, the number one sport
Even if, as in other African countries, you won't see impromptu soccer matches in every square, Egyptians are real football fans. It has to be said that they have plenty to get excited about. The "Pharaohs", as the national team is known, were the first African team to compete in the World Cup in 1934. More recently, the team has reigned supreme on the continent, winning three African Cup of Nations titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010. Finalists in 2017, they failed to win the event despite the presence in their ranks of Mohamed Salah, the country's star striker (and of Liverpool, with whom he won the 2019 Champions League).
On the club front, Al-Ahly and Zamalek SC (both based in Cairo) are the country's biggest teams and regularly shine at continental level.
Squash world champions!
It may not be widely known, but Egypt is quite simply the best squash-playing nation in the world. Having arrived in the country during the British occupation at the end of the 19th century, squash established itself as a flagship activity in the 1930s. Before the Egyptians became masters of the discipline in the 1990s, taking pride of place in all major international competitions. To see just how dominant the Egyptians are, just take a look at the world rankings for 2023: the best player is Egyptian, as are half of the world's top six.
And the British influence doesn't stop there: Egyptians are also formidable croquet and boulingrin players, a kind of grass bowls. So british, isn 't it?
Very popular board games
If you're a fan of dominoes, tric-trac (the local backgammon) or chess, you'll have the opportunity to indulge. It seems to be the favorite occupation of men who smoke chicha in cafés, when they're not watching a soccer match on TV of course.
Horseback riding or golf? Always chic!
Can you ride across the desert, at least from the Giza pyramid plateau to the Saqqarah plateau? In Cairo and elsewhere, it's possible to ride horses to some splendid sites. Along the Nile, in Luxor, on the Red Sea, you'll be spoilt for choice. Many agencies offer excursions to the four corners of the country. As for golf, it began to flourish in Egypt in the late 1980s, when courses sprang up in the desert, with large expanses of green flirting with seas of sand. In addition to the three historic golf courses at Guezira, Mena House and Alexandria, the country boasts a growing number of very recent courses, combining beauty and difficulty.
In the water, there is not only diving!
World-famous for diving, the Red Sea resorts also offer some motorized activities, mainly water skiing, wakeboarding, jetpack and jet-skiing. Kitesurfing, a sport that combines gliding on the water and soaring to the sky, is developing more and more in Egypt. Some destinations are particularly popular, such as Ras es-Sudr, Dahab, Port Safaga. As for deep-sea fishing enthusiasts, they can enjoy themselves off Hurghada in particular.
