Placing the Pharaohs alongside the Desert Foxes in the competition will help both countries iron out their differences
Egypt squaring up against Algeria in the Fifa Arab Cup is ‘an opportunity to decrease tension’ between both countries, according to African football great Mohamed Aboutrika.
During the 2010 Fifa World Cup qualifiers between both countries in November 2009, there were disturbances before and after the games – which lead to diplomatic strains in Egypt, Algeria, and Sudan.
However, the draw for the competition organised to act as a preparatory competition to test the operational readiness of Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup which saw the Pharaohs zoned in Group D with the Desert Foxes as well as the winner of Lebanon v Djibouti and the winner of Libya v Sudan.