CAIRO, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's national soccer team flew to Russia Sunday morning to take part in the 2018 World Cup finals.
The Egyptian final 23-player squad will prepare for the World Cup in their base in Grozny.
The Pharaohs will kick off their World Cup campaign on June 15 against Uruguay and then face the host Russia on June 19. Their final group stage match will be against Saudi Arabia on June 25.
On Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi hosted the national football team at the presidential palace in Cairo one day before they headed to Russia.
Sisi wished the players best of luck, urging them to exercise discipline, as a reflection of Egypt's deep-rooted heritage.
Late on Saturday, the team held its last home practice at Cairo International Stadium.
Egyptians hang much hope on Liverpool injured striker Mohammed Salah, who was recently named the English Premier League 2018 player of the year, to help the national team advance beyond the group stage in Russia.
Salah faces a race against time to regain fitness for the World Cup after picking up a shoulder injury in Liverpool's 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final on May 26.
Media reports have said that it is not clear if Salah would be able to feature against Uruguay.
Salah, the 2018 Best African Footballer, is seen by Egyptians as a national hero who finally secured his country a seat in the world's top soccer competition after 28 years of absence.
The national team's results of the pre-World Cup friendlies have worried Egyptians after they failed to win any of their five games.
