Argentina and Egypt face off in the penultimate last-16 match of the 2026 World Cup, with Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah headlining the contest at Atlanta Stadium. The winner will face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarter-finals in Kansas City on Saturday.
Argentina's Narrow Escape Against Cape Verde
Argentina, heavy favourites, were pushed to the brink by debutants Cape Verde in the round of 32. Lionel Scaloni's side needed an 111th-minute own goal to avoid a penalty shootout, having twice been pegged back after goals from Messi and Lisandro Martinez. The team made three changes for the Egypt clash: Nicolas Tagliafico, Leandro Paredes, and Julian Alvarez came in.
Egypt's Historic Knockout Win
Egypt also needed penalties to overcome Australia in their first-ever World Cup knockout victory. Coach Hossam Hassan made a bold call by dropping star forward Omar Marmoush to the bench, replacing him with Haissem Hassan. Mohanad Lasheen returned in midfield for Hamdi Fathy, while Karim Hafez recovered from a muscle strain to start at left-back.
Team News and Lineups
Argentina XI: Emiliano Martinez; Molina, Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Tagliafico; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister, Paredes; Messi, Alvarez.
Egypt XI: Mostafa Shobeir; Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim, Ramy Rabia, Karim Hafez; Mohanad Lasheen, Marwan Attia, Emam Ashour; Haissem Hassan, Mostafa Ziko, Mohamed Salah.
Weather and Venue
Atlanta Stadium, home of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United, features a fully retractable roof and air conditioning, ensuring no weather delays. Temperatures outside were forecast around 32°C at kick-off.
Injury Updates
Argentina left-back Facundo Medina missed out due to injury, replaced by Tagliafico. Egypt's Karim Hafez told Egyptian broadcaster ON Sport: "I'm ready for the match. My injury was nothing more than a minor muscle strain. It's a historic match against Argentina. Every player dreams of taking part in a major match like Argentina and competing on such a grand stage."
Prediction
Argentina showed vulnerabilities against Cape Verde, but Egypt's defensive concerns and Salah's hamstring issue make a shock result unlikely. Prediction: Argentina 2-0 Egypt.
