Report: Egypt denied flight to Seattle ahead of final World Cup group match

Ahead of their final group match on Friday against Iran, the Egyptian World Cup team's plan to fly directly from Vancouver to Seattle was declined by local security officials, the club said.

After posting their first-ever World Cup victory on Sunday over New Zealand in Vancouver, the Egyptians wanted to fly their stars directly to Seattle.

"The security authorities refused the team's request to stay in the city of Seattle as planned after the New Zealand match in the World Cup, and therefore the team's delegation will return to the city of Spokane," Egyptian manager Hossam said in a statement released by the Egyptian FA.

The Egyptian team submitted a request to remain in Seattle this week, but instead will return to their training base in Spokane, about 280 miles east of Seattle, according to a Daily Mail report.

In Sunday's win, Mohamed Salah scored as Egypt rallied from a goal down to beat New Zealand 3-1.

--Field Level Media

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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 3:43 PM.