Soon, after a disappointing appearance of its national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Egypt has announced plans to host both the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
During a press conference held earlier this week, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Ashraf Sobhy, said Egypt plans to bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup and the 2032 Olympic Games.
According to Sobhy, who acknowledged the financial and technical difficulties of hosting the international tournaments, this comes as part of the ministry's efforts to boost the country's sports sector.
"Our goal is to host the 2030 World Cup in Egypt and we will work on that in the upcoming period," said Sobhy, who was appointed last month.
"We also want to win the hosting rights for the 2032 Olympic Games," he added.
Egypt is not the only north African country eyeing the 2030 tournament, as Algeria is reportedly considering submitting a joint bid with Morocco and Tunisia.
The press conference came on the heels of a ministerial meeting held by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who emphasized the importance of nurturing the youth's sports talents.
Egypt had notably attempted to host the 2010 World Cup, but ended up failing to earn a single vote in the bidding poll, according to The Guardian.
Naturally, people had a lot to say about the minister's ambitious goals.
Here's how social media users responded to the news:
Some couldn't help but crack jokes
"High level of imagination"
They can't fathom how the country would pull it off
A grammar mistake is a national requirement
Priorities?
As if traffic wasn't bad enough already
"How about Egypt organizes traffic before organizing the World Cup?"
"We have to stop putting ourselves in embarrassing situations"
The country's economy is rather discouraging
"Will the Arabs stand by Egypt this time?"
Meanwhile, others are quite excited
"Egypt has much to be proud of"
