Argentina vs Egypt: FIFA World Cup last 16 – Messi, Salah, prediction, news

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Who: Argentina vs Egypt
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 16
Where: Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, the United States
When: Tuesday, July 7, at 12pm (16:00 GMT)
How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 12:30 GMT before our live text commentary stream.

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Get ready for a spicy battle of the number 10s – a dazzling duel between Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah, two of the greatest forwards in world football, as Argentina face Egypt in the World Cup round of 16.

Argentina have been the clear favourites in every game they’ve played at the tournament, but after being made to work for victory in the last tie, the presumption that the reigning champions are unbeatable has been broken.

Egypt, on the other hand, are on a historic run of their own, gearing up to chase a first-ever quarterfinal berth. One of only two African sides remaining at the tournament, they carry the hopes of the continent and have gone toe-to-toe with the world’s best.

Al Jazeera tells you everything about Argentina vs Egypt:

How did Argentina and Egypt reach the round of 16?

Argentina topped Group J with a perfect record of nine points, winning against Austria, Algeria and Jordan. In the round of 32, they were pushed to extra time by a resilient Cape Verde team before edging past the tournament debutants 3-2 in a thrilling contest.

Egypt came second in Group G with five points, drawing with Belgium and Iran and winning against New Zealand. They defeated Australia 4-2 on penalties in the round of 32 after the game was tied 1-1 following extra time. It marked the first-ever World Cup knockout for Egypt, who made their tournament debut in 1934.

More World Cup history beckons for Messi

This tournament’s Golden Boot race is one for the ages.

Argentina legend Messi, France’s Kylian Mbappe and Norway’s Erling Haaland are all tied at seven goals, with Mbappe leading the list, his two assists breaking the tie.

If Messi – who has scored in each of Argentina’s four games so far – finds the net against Egypt, not only will he become the Golden Boot leader, but he will also join Guillermo Stabile (1930) as the only Argentina player to score eight goals in a single World Cup.

But ahead of Tuesday’s last-16 tie, there have been concerns about fatigue, and it’s not just limited to Messi.

Argentina were forced to play extra time by Cape Verde in the heat in Miami in the US on Friday, while Egypt-Australia went all the way to penalties on the same day. Those gruelling knockout games left both teams with little time for rest and recovery.

Argentina's forward #10 Lionel Messi reacts during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between Argentina and Cape Verde at the Miami Stadium in Miami Gardens on July 3, 2026. — Argentina’s 39-year-old forward Lionel Messi played the full 120 minutes against Cape Verde [AFP]

Messi admitted after the last match that he was tired, and he lamented Argentina’s inability to press their opponents high up the pitch.

Meanwhile, Egypt relied heavily on their defensive organisation and looked to Salah and Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush to launch counterattacks against ⁠Australia, an approach they could employ again against Argentina.

For Egypt, a fully fit Salah could be crucial after the attacking winger entered the Australia match with a hamstring concern and at times appeared reluctant to sprint at full speed during a draining 120-minute ‌contest.

If Egypt stun Argentina, they will become the fifth African nation to reach the World Cup quarterfinals after Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002), Ghana (2010) and Morocco (2022 and 2026).

Argentina vs Egypt prediction

The Opta supercomputer gives Argentina a 69.1 percent likelihood of winning in regulation time, while Egypt’s chances of winning are 12.3 percent.

The model estimates a 18.5 percent probability of the game going to extra time.

Argentina vs Egypt: Kickoff, TV schedule

Argentina: TyC Sports, TyC Sports Play (1pm, Argentina Standard Time)
Egypt: beIN Sports (7pm, Egypt Standard Time)
US: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (noon, Eastern Daylight Time)
United Kingdom: BBC One, BBC iPlayer (5pm, British Summer Time)

To check the TV listings for your country, head to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.

Argentine fans celebrate at the end of the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between Argentina and Cape Verde at the Miami Stadium in Miami Gardens on July 3, 2026. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) — Argentina supporters are hoping for a back-to-back World Cup triumph [Roberto Schmidt/AFP]

Who will the winner face in the quarterfinals?

The winner of the Argentina vs Egypt match will play either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarterfinals in Kansas City in the US on Saturday, July 11.

This will be the first World Cup match between Argentina and Egypt.

Their last meeting was a friendly in Cairo in 2008, which Argentina won 2-0.

Argentina are on an eight-game winning run against African nations at the World Cup, with two of those coming in this edition (3-0 vs Algeria, 3-2 vs Cape Verde). No side in the competition’s history has won three games against African opponents in a single edition before.

Argentina vs Egypt: Team news

Argentina’s Gonzalez (ankle injury) and Medina (physical discomfort) are doubtful, while Egypt’s Fatouh (muscle) and El Fotouh (hamstring) are out injured.