Argentina vs Egypt —World Cup: Live score and match stats

84' | MESSI REDEMPTION! THE CHAMPIONS ARE LEVEL!
Argentina 2-2 Egypt (Messi, 84)

LIONEL MESSI HAS DONE IT! UNBELIEVABLE, DRUM-ROLL DRAMA! TWO GOALS IN FOUR MINUTES FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONS!

The legendary number 10 completely erases his first-half penalty heartbreak with a moment of pure, unadulterated magic. Argentina flood the final third, shifting the ball at breakneck speed. It lands at the feet of Messi just outside the box, and with the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders, he drops his shoulder, cuts inside, and unleashes a trademark, curling left-footed masterpiece into the side-netting! Mostafa Shobeir can only watch it fly past him this time.

80' | GAME ON! ARGENTINA PULL ONE BACK!
Argentina 1-2 Egypt (Romero, 80)

Life for the Albiceleste! Out of absolutely nothing, Argentina have found a lifeline, and it's the center-back Cristian Romero who acts as the savior!

71' | SECOND WATER BREAK!

The referee stops play for the second mandatory hydration break, and to say Argentina desperately need this is an absolute understatement.

67' | GOAL! IT COUNTS THIS TIME!
Argentina 0-2 Egypt (Ziko, 67)

You simply cannot deny Mostafa Ziko tonight! Just seven minutes after seeing his first goal heartbreakingly chalked off by VAR, the Egyptian forward strikes again—and this one is absolutely rock-solid!

59' | NO GOAL! DRAMA REVERSED BY VAR!
Argentina 0-1 Egypt

Hold everything! The referee is gesturing to his ear... we are going to a VAR review!

The chaotic Egyptian celebrations on the touchline cut short as the official heads over to the monitor. After a tense look at the replay, it turns out there was an offside in the build-up just before Mostafa Ziko slotted it home. The goal is chalked off!

59' | UNBELIEVABLE! TWO FOR EGYPT!
Argentina 0-2 Egypt (Ziko, 59)

The script hasn't just been ripped up—it’s been totally incinerated! Argentina have been completely caught cold on the counter-attack yet again.

45' | SECOND HALF UNDERWAY & EGYPT SUB!

Emam Ashour’s night is over, and Hamdi Fathy steps onto the pitch to replace him.

HALF TIME |

The referee blows the whistle to bring an absolutely breathless first half to a close!

45' | FIVE MINUTES ADDED!

The fourth official raises the board, and there will be a minimum of five minutes of stoppage time to close out this chaotic first half.

39' | SHOBEIR IS A BRICK WALL!

Julian Álvarez is the next man to be denied by the human shield in the Egyptian goal! The Argentine forward finds a pocket of space, breaks through the defensive line, and finds himself completely unmarked inside the penalty box. He takes a touch to compose himself and fires a venomous, perfectly targeted strike toward the net—but Mostafa Shobeir pulls off an absolute world-class reflex save, diving at full stretch to turn it away!

31' | WOODWORK! Messi Denied Again!

Luck is absolutely refusing to smile on Argentina tonight! Fresh off that agonizing penalty miss, Lionel Messi unleashes a ferocious, left-footed bullet from well outside the box. It leaves the Egyptian goalkeeper completely stranded, beating him for sheer pace—but the thunderous strike crashes violently off the post and bounces away!

23' | WATER BREAK!

The referee blows his whistle and calls a temporary halt to this breathless encounter for the first mandatory hydration break.

19' | MESSI MISSES FROM THE SPOT!
UNBELIEVABLE! DRAMA OF THE HIGHEST ORDER!

Argentina are handed a absolute lifeline just five minutes after going behind when Álvarez is brought down in the box. The referee points straight to the spot, and it's the magical number 10, Lionel Messi, who steps up to take it. But he missed.

14' | SHOCK LEAD FOR EGYPT!

The underdogs have completely ripped up the script! Egypt win a corner out of nowhere, and Ziko swings a beautiful, curling ball deep into the penalty box. Yasser Ibrahim rises highest above a static Argentine defense, power-heading it past a helpless Emiliano Martínez!

1' | EARLY BLOW!
Fernandez is down in agony barely thirty seconds into the match. He flies into a midfield tackle but ends up clashing knees, and he's stayed down clutching his leg. The medical team is already gesturing towards the bench.

Argentina and Egypt unveil lineups for round of 16 clash

The definitive path to the quarter-finals takes center stage at the Atlanta Stadium in Georgia as defending world champions Argentina face off against Egypt in a blockbuster FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 knockout tie. Both teams enter the match following intense, nerve-wracking journeys in the previous round, with Argentina requiring extra time to edge past a resilient Cape Verde side, and Egypt coming through a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Australia. Both managers have locked in their starting combinations for what shapes up to be an iconic tactical battle headlined by two of global football's greatest icons.

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has set up his side in an incredibly balanced 4-4-2 formation designed to assert midfield supremacy and maximize creativity in the final third. Emiliano Martínez starts between the posts behind a hardened back four consisting of central defenders Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez, flanked by fullbacks Nahuel Molina and Nicolás Tagliafico. A dynamic four-man midfield will see Rodrigo De Paul and Alexis Mac Allister provide industrious energy on the wings, while Enzo Fernández and Leandro Paredes patrol the central spaces to dictate possession. Up front, the frontline is spearheaded by Manchester City forward Julián Alvarez alongside the legendary captain Lionel Messi, who looks to continue his blistering tournament form. Scaloni holds elite tactical options on his bench, with Lautaro Martínez, Giovani Lo Celso, and veteran defender Nicolás Otamendi available to alter the script.

Egypt manager Hossam Hassan counters with a mirroring 4-4-2 blueprint aimed at building a compact, disciplined defensive block while remaining lethal on transitional counters. In the absence of veteran presence, Mostafa Shobeir starts in goal, shielded by a central defensive partnership of Ramy Rabia and Yasser Ibrahim, with Karim Hafez and Mohamed Hany completing the defensive line.

The midfield engine room relies heavily on the work rate of Marwan Attia and Mohanad Lasheen, flanked by the creativity of Haissem Hassan and Emam Ashour. The Pharaohs' offensive responsibility rests entirely on their dynamic front pair, where the clinical Mostafa Ziko partners with global superstar Mohamed Salah, who shoulders the hopes of a continent. Hassan also boasts high-impact reinforcements on his bench, including the dangerous Omar Marmoush, Trezeguet, and midfielder Hamdy Fathy.

Argentina National Football Team

Starting Line-up
23 E. Martínez (GK), 26 N. Molina (D), 13 C. Romero (D), 6 Lisandro Martínez (D), 3 N. Tagliafico (D), 24 E. Fernández (M), 5 L. Paredes (M), 20 A. Mac Allister (M), 7 R. De Paul (M), 9 J. Alvarez (A), 10 L. Messi (A)

Substitutions
1 J. Musso, 2 M. Senesi, 4 G. Montiel, 8 V. Barco, 11 G. Lo Celso, 12 G. Rulli, 14 E. Palacios, 15 N. González, 16 T. Almada, 17 G. Simeone, 18 N. Paz, 19 N. Otamendi, 21 J. López, 22 Lautaro Martínez, 25 F. Medina

Manager
Lionel Sebastián Scaloni

Egypt National Football Team

Starting Line-up
23 Mostafa Shobeir (GK), 3 Mohamed Hany (D), 2 Yasser Ibrahim (D), 5 Ramy Rabia (D), 15 Karim Hafez (D), 12 Haissem Hassan (M), 17 Mohanad Lasheen (M), 19 Marwan Attia (M), 8 Emam Ashour (M), 11 Mostafa Ziko (A), 10 Mohamed Salah (A)

Substitutions
1 Mohamed El Shenawy, 4 Hossam Abdelmaguid, 7 Trezeguet, 9 Hamza Abdelkarim, 14 Hamdy Fathy, 16 El Mahdy Soliman, 18 Nabil Emad Dunga, 20 Ibrahim Adel, 21 Mahmoud Saber, 22 Omar Marmoush, 24 Tarek Alaa, 25 Zizo, 26 Mohamed Alaa

Manager
Hossam Hassan Hassanein Hussein