Engineer Hani Abou Rida, President of the Egyptian Football Association, confirmed that the spending on the national team has significantly increased recently due to the rising costs of training camps, matches, and technical preparation. He pointed out that the Football Association is currently working to complete the section dedicated to the national team within the National Teams Center to reduce financial burdens.

Abou Rida explained, on the sidelines of today's general assembly meeting, that it is unreasonable for the Egyptian national team to bear costs for using state-owned stadiums. He pointed out that he discussed this matter with the Minister of Youth and Sports to find suitable solutions that support the national teams.

The president of the federation spoke about the decision to postpone the Africa Cup of Nations from June to December due to the 2026 World Cup competitions, emphasizing that this postponement caused the tournament to overlap with the Arab Cup. This overlap led some to suggest not participating, but the federation rejected the idea and decided to compete in the Arab Cup with a team consisting of a different group of players under the leadership of Helmy Toulan.

Abou Rida pointed out that the Arab Cup team faced significant challenges in assembling several players due to their clubs' commitments in international competitions, with Pyramids Club at the forefront, having between 7 and 8 players in the national team during that period.

He concluded his statements by emphasizing the federation's commitment to providing the best conditions for success for all national teams, especially the under-17 team, due to the unique nature of this age group and because FIFA has decided to hold the U-17 World Cup annually instead of every two years.