Egypt soccer Seattle flight security turned into a travel problem after United States security authorities denied the Egyptian national team's request to fly directly from Vancouver to Seattle. Hossam Hossan said the delegation would return to Spokane instead, changing the team's plan before its June 26 World Cup match against Iran.
Egypt had just beaten New Zealand 3-1 after trailing 0-1. That result put it atop Group G with 4 points, while Iran trailed by 2 points, and the schedule now leaves less room for recovery between trips.
Hossam Hossan and Spokane
Hossan said the team wanted to stay in Seattle to preserve the players from travel fatigue and cut down on the number of trips before Iran in Seattle. Instead, the delegation was sent back to Spokane, which had served as the team's World Cup training base.
The itinerary had already been busy. On June 19th, Egypt left Spokane International Airport on Breeze Airways flight MX6840 at 11:26am and arrived at Vancouver International Airport at 12:25pm, then the return leg was set as Air Canada charter flight AC7005 on an Airbus A320.
Egypt and Group G
The denial matters because Egypt is trying to manage a short turnaround around a match that could shape Group G. Egypt has qualified for the World Cup only four times, and it last advanced past the group stage in 1934.
For a team that wanted the direct hop from Vancouver to Seattle, the added return to Spokane means one more leg before the match in Seattle. Hossan's statement leaves the core issue in plain view: the team asked for a cleaner move, security authorities rejected it, and Egypt now has to reset around another trip before June 26.
