CAIRO: Egypt skipper Ahmed Hassan is confident his side can represent Africa in the best possible way during the Confederations Cup. The Pharaohs will face Brazil, Italy and the United States in the quadrennial tournament which will kick off on Sunday. The African champions will be the Dark Continent s representative along with hosts South Africa. Together with South Africa, Egypt, as six-time African champions and South Africa as hosts, we can display Africa s best football in this tournament, Hassan told FIFA.com. Playing against tough opponents in the Confederations Cup can be Egypt s ideal preparation for the World Cup qualifiers. The team s hopes of reaching the elite tournament for the first time since 1990 were dealt a major blow following a shocking 3-1 defeat to Algeria. The loss came after Egypt was held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Zambia in Group C opener of the qualifiers final phase. The tough qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup remains the biggest challenge for us, Hassan added. The 2010 World Cup is a major event, and this is an event we are looking forward to participate in. Although the World Cup qualifiers have been tough so far, we ll do our best so we can come back next year. Egypt opens their Confederations Cup campaign against five-time world champions Brazil on Monday.
