The red, white and black tricorn Egyptian flag billowed behind Aleiyah Ross as she led the international club onto Lumen Field for their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener.
‘Sirius’ by the Alan Parsons Project blared within Seattle Stadium as she turned 180 degrees and directed superstar Mohamed Salah into position with both hands.
One by one, the rest of the Egypt national football team followed, taking their places around the circular FIFA World Cup logo at midfield. Moments before the thunderous, near-capacity crowd of 66,775 fans watched Ross lead Egypt out for the World Cup debut against Belgium, she had spent one quiet minute to greet the players…