Egypt have agreed to face Belgium in a friendly on November 18 in Kuwait to help them prepare for the 2022 World Cup, which kicks off two days later.

The Red Devils will get their campaign in Qatar underway against Canada on November 23 before taking on Morocco and Croatia in Group F.

New Pharaohs head coach Rui Vitoria begins his tenure with a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Malawi on September 20.

The Egyptian Football Association sacked Ehab Galal in June after just three games in charge, with the North African giants bottom of Group D following their 2-0 defeat to Ethiopia on matchday 2.

Vitoria succeeded Galal on a four-year contract in July and his first task will be to get the national team’s AFCON qualifying campaign back on track, starting with the home game against the Flames later this month.

“Our main target from the first camp is to achieve harmony between the technical staff and players, and I also want to monitor players closely, as playing with the national team is totally different from the club level,” the Portuguese coach said in a press conference.

“We preferred to postpone the announcement of the preliminary squad until finishing the league on Tuesday to keep players’ concentration.

“We want to give players more experience with the national team so they are ready to be called up any time. We are monitoring all players and the door is open for all of them to prove their worth.”