Egypt's football governing body, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), announced the dismissal of Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria on Sunday, just a week after Egypt's disappointing exit from the Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.

Despite Vitoria's contract originally slated to continue until the 2026 World Cup, the lacklustre Cup of Nations performance, culminating in a penalty shootout loss to the Democratic Republic of Congo after a 1-1 draw, led to an early end to his tenure.

The EFA revealed that Vitoria and his entire coaching staff have been relieved of their duties. Mohamed Youssef, former coach of Al Ahly and the architect behind their African Champions League triumph in 2013, will assume an interim role.

"The association will also study the CVs of (some) foreign coaches," the EFA added in a statement.

Vitoria assumed the role of Egypt's head coach in 2022, taking charge of a team grappling with a significant decline in form following their previous journey to the Cup of Nations final in Cameroon.

The initial phase of his tenure showed promise, witnessing an improved offensive performance and securing a comfortable spot in the Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast. Additionally, Egypt won their first two matches in the World Cup qualifiers.

However, their performance in the Ivory Coast was inconsistent, advancing to the last 16 with three consecutive 2-2 draws before D.R. Congo eliminated them from contention for an eighth Cup of Nations title.

Vitoria joins the ranks of coaching casualties in the tournament, alongside Djamel Belmadi of Algeria, Tom Saintfiet of Gambia, Chris Hughton of Ghana, Jalel Kadri of Tunisia, Adel Amrouche of Tanzania, and Jean-Louis Gasset of Ivory Coast.