The historic qualification of Egypt's national team to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup, after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Australia, will be remembered not only for the sporting achievement. The closing moments at the Dallas stadium quickly became a resounding political event when national coach Hossam Hassan chose to celebrate on the pitch by waving the Palestinian flag.

This dramatic gesture, alongside his statement dedicating the win to the residents of the Gaza Strip, sparked a massive wave of responses, joy and widespread support across media outlets and social networks in Egypt and the broader Arab world.

On leading Egyptian social platforms such as Cairo24, coverage focused on public excitement and the deep connection of the Egyptian people to the Palestinian cause. Thousands of Egyptian users shared images of Hassan running with the flag, stressing that "Palestine has always been and remains in the heart of every Egyptian; this is a courageous step that faithfully represents the Egyptian street."

Alongside this, news sites such as Al-Masry and Al Khabar Al Youm closely followed discussions in Israel. Egyptian media highlighted the "anger and criticism on the Israeli side" over mixing politics and sport, presenting the outrage as proof that Hassan's message had landed with great force and achieved its goal.

Headlines across the Arab world accurately reflected the strength of the reaction. The Egyptian site Mobtada wrote: "Hossam Hassan waves the Palestinian flag after Egypt's qualification to the World Cup round of 16." The Jordanian site Al-Ghad chose to emphasize Israeli responses and stated: "After Hossam Hassan waved the Palestinian flag, Israeli media whines: 'Anti-Semite'." Al Jazeera also gave the gesture prominent coverage and quoted the coach: "Hossam Hassan dedicated the victory to the Palestinian people, who have never disappointed Egypt."

One of the most prominent voices offering full backing to the coach was former star and leading pundit Mohamed Aboutrika, a well-known Israel critic. In a live broadcast on beIN Sports, Aboutrika praised Hassan for his resourcefulness and public courage. He declared to millions of viewers: "This is how we were raised; Palestine is our central and primary issue," and his statement immediately became a leading quote shared across social networks as a symbol of Egyptian consensus around the act.

The impact of the gesture reached residents in the Gaza Strip directly. Networks such as Al Jazeera and Arabic Post published footage from Gaza, where residents followed the match. The videos showed fans in Gaza celebrating the Egyptian victory as if it were their own.