Rugby is steadily carving out its own space in Egypt, a country dominated by football. Despite being a smaller sport, rugby has been growing through the persistence of a small community. The Egyptian Rugby Football Union was founded in 2008 but didn't receive official government approval until 2017. This approval gave rugby a formal place within Egypt's Olympic committee, paving the way for further growth.
A significant milestone for Egyptian rugby came in 2019 when Rugby Africa accepted Egypt as a full member. This membership opened the door to regional competition against continental opposition. The bigger breakthrough came in November 2024 when World Rugby elevated Egypt to full member status alongside Guatemala and Lesotho. Union president Hossam Saheb called it a milestone reflecting years of work to grow the sport nationwide.
Egypt's domestic competition is small, with five clubs contesting the national championship. These clubs include Alexandria Rugby Club, Cairo Rugby, and Panthers Rugby in the women's game. The Alexandria club, founded in 2003 from a small expatriate gathering, now trains more than twenty coaches and produces between fifty and eighty young players a year. This grassroots growth has been crucial to the sport's development.
Success on the pitch has followed the structural gains in Egyptian rugby. The women's national team made their first appearance at the Africa Women's Sevens in November 2025, competing in Nairobi against nations with far longer sevens histories. Menna Sedky, the union's women's rugby representative, attributed the tournament to six years of grassroots-focused development.
The men's national side also marked a milestone weeks later, beating Libya 62-6 in Cairo. This was the first fifteen-a-side international an Egyptian men's team had played in over a decade. While neither result brought continental silverware, both pointed to a national programme rebuilding itself with intent.
Despite progress, practical challenges remain for Egyptian rugby. Football's hold on facilities, funding, and public attention remains close to total. The federation has worked to close this gap by opening academies inside clubs that normally train football coaches and pushing awareness into international schools.
The future of Egyptian rugby depends on whether its current foundation can hold, turning enthusiasm into something the country's wider sporting life carries forward. With federation status, international fixtures, and a growing club scene, rugby has a foundation it lacked a decade ago.
Key points
- Egypt's rugby growth is attributed to the persistence of a small community and recent milestones, including full membership in World Rugby.
- The sport faces challenges, including football's dominance in facilities, funding, and public attention.
- Egyptian rugby's future depends on sustaining its current foundation and growth momentum.
