Mohamed Salah has pledged to deliver renewed success for Egypt after their heartbreaking exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The former Liverpool star and his national team suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in their last-16 tie in Atlanta earlier this week, despite holding a 2-0 lead with little time remaining.
Salah's emotional promise to fans
Days after Egypt's elimination, Salah posted an emotional message on social media, addressing the nation's supporters directly. He said: "I know you're still upset, but I promise you that I'll do everything in my power to ensure this marks a fresh start for Egyptian football on the international stage. Qualifying for the World Cup won't be enough, and just participating won't cut it either. This team deserves your trust."
Salah contributed one goal and two assists during the group stages, but ended the tournament without adding to that tally in the knockout round. The 34-year-old, whose contract at Liverpool expired earlier this summer, believed he had provided an assist during the defeat, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR check.
Controversial defeat and VAR decisions
Egypt had taken a commanding 2-0 lead through goals from Yassir Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico, and appeared poised to reach the quarter-finals. However, Argentina mounted a stunning comeback with goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi, and Enzo Fernandez to seal a 3-2 victory and set up a quarter-final clash against Switzerland.
Controversy surrounded the match after Zico thought he had doubled Egypt's lead in the second half, with Salah providing the crucial pass, only for the effort to be ruled out following a VAR check for a foul in the build-up. Egypt were further aggrieved when a similar foul occurred during the build-up to Argentina's winning goal.
Egypt manager Hossam Hassan voiced his frustration after the match, stating: "Why isn't there any fairness in sport? In football? I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording. We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice." He added: "It could be a matter of marketing, they could want to make a World Cup with the champion of the last World Cup, they want Messi to exist (in the tournament). I wish we could be happier with the loss, but with a severe loss like today I say to them (my players) be upset. We wish we could be happier. Thank God for everything but football is different from what happens in the stadium when we are playing against the world champions."
Looking ahead
Salah's promise signals a determination to build on Egypt's World Cup qualification and push for deeper runs in future tournaments. Despite the disappointment, the team's performance against the reigning champions has shown their potential on the global stage.
