"He had once fallen under the spell of a dream, and from that moment on, the memory of that beautiful transgression would pursue him forever—a moment of freedom, of a lightness too exquisite to endure. It would remain, forever haunting him, like conscience itself."
— Arwa Saleh, The Stillborn
I doubt that when leftist activist and writer Arwa Saleh wrote these lines, she imagined she was describing how millions of Egyptians would feel for three unforgettable weeks — or perhaps for the past four decades, if not throughout much of modern Egyptian history.
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| Little Egyptian boy wearing Salah's jersey watching a game between older kids on the banks of the Nile in Upper Egypt's Al-Minya "Ahmed Mostafa" |
Egypt was eliminated in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after an epic, deeply controversial match against Argentina. The rest is history.
Eleven days later, I can finally finish this post, which I began writing on 8 July 2026.
Since then, Argentina has defeated Switzerland in another match that raised eyebrows and renewed questions about refereeing decisions, advancing to the semi-finals. It then overcame England in the showdown many football fans had been waiting years to see.
No one could have imagined that so many Egyptians would find themselves supporting England against Argentina.
Yet the impossible happened.
England, too, experienced the same bitter final minutes, marked by controversial refereeing decisions and an unusually physical game.
I cannot imagine how Egyptian and English fans who witnessed both matches felt as they watched history seemingly repeat itself.
It was painful to watch because — bias aside — Egypt played better against Argentina than either team did. That only deepened the inevitable question: What if?
In a few hours, Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup final and will most likely lift the trophy.
It has been a week filled with reactions, endless "what ifs," and the familiar chorus of "Stop being dramatic, you filthy Egyptian sore losers."
But we are not sore losers.
