The President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, was at the Egyptian Army Stadium in Alexandria on Thursday evening to declare the FIFA U-20 World Cup officially open. The country's leader stayed on to watch the home favourites beat Trinidad and Tobago 4-1.

Accompanying the Egyptian head of state at the magnificent opening ceremony was FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.

"I am extremely honoured by the presence of President Mubarak here today," said Blatter. "Egypt can be proud," he added, to the cheers of the 80,000 crowd crammed into the stadium.

Featuring the top 24 youth sides on the planet, the FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009 runs from 24 September to 16 October, with matches being played in Alexandria, Cairo, Ismailia, Port Said and Suez.