When it comes to FIFA club tournaments, you would be hard-pressed to find a more experienced player than Hussein Elshahat. The Al Ahly midfielder has appeared in 16 matches and is competing in his sixth competition at the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024™ in Qatar, where El Shahat and the Egyptian giants will take on Mexican side Pachuca in the FIFA Challenger Cup on Saturday.

Al Ahly reached this phase of the tournament thanks to a commanding 3-0 triumph over Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates in the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup. Now just a win away from a dream date with Real Madrid in the final, Elshahat spoke to FIFA about the significance of the Intercontinental Cup to the club.

“Al Ahly is a giant club, and is accustomed to participating in major tournaments like the Intercontinental Cup,” said Elshahat. “This participation means a lot to us, and we hope that this time, the title will be ours.

“Personally, I feel happy and proud to participate in the Intercontinental Cup,” added Elshahat. “You’re surrounded by incredible players, whether team-mates or opponents. I’m thrilled to be part of this experience.”

Al Ahly arrived to Doha earlier in the week and had the chance to take in Pachuca’s impressive outing against the Copa Libertadores winners. Elshahat came away impressed by what he saw from the Concacaf champions and knows that a ferocious 90 minutes will be on the docket.

“Pachuca is a strong team, having eliminated the South American champion,” said Elshahat. “We watched their match against Botafogo, where they delivered a high-level performance and scored three goals in just 30 minutes. Personally, I expected Pachuca to qualify since Botafogo was relatively fatigued due to travel and a congested schedule, which is hard to manage. We respect Pachuca and will play with full focus to secure a win and reach the final, as our ambition is to claim both titles (Challenger Cup and Intercontinental Cup).”

Already in his storied career, Elshahat has had the privilege of facing some of the world’s biggest clubs on a FIFA stage. He has taken on Real Madrid twice, first in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018™ as a member of Al Ain, and then with Al Ahly at the FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2022™, where they were within a goal of the Spanish titans until a late spurt resulted in a 4-1 defeat. There was also a narrow 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

But no matter the opponent, the opportunity to play against the champions of each continent is something Elshahat does not take for granted.

“I’m proud to be the player with the most appearances in the Intercontinental Cup during my career,’ said Elshahat. “Competing in this tournament as a continental champion and facing incredible stars in massive clubs like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Palmeiras—whom we’ve faced before—is a great honour.

“All these teams are giants and have players passionate about football, eager to give their all on the pitch. I love playing in the Intercontinental Cup because you face top-level teams that love to attack, giving us opportunities to find spaces, attack as well, so playing exciting matches.”