3 min readJul 7, 2026 05:39 PM IST
Defending champions Argentina will take on seven-time Africa Cup of Nations winners Egypt in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Tuesday. Coming off a nervy 3-2 win over inspirational debutants Cape Verde in the Round of 32, the South Americans face a tough test against a determined Egyptian side led by skipper and talisman Mohamed Salah. Egypt booked their place in the Round of 16 for the first time after defeating Australia 4-2 on penalties following a highly competitive 1-1 draw.
Before their highly anticipated first-ever World Cup meeting, the two sides have previously met only twice at international level, with both contests going in Argentina’s favour. Their most recent encounter came in a friendly in 2008.
The game was played on March 26 at Cairo International Stadium in the Nasr City district of eastern Cairo. The match attracted a crowd of approximately 45,000 fans, as Alfio Basile’s Argentina entered as the top-ranked FIFA team, while Egypt came in having successfully defended their AFCON crown. Lionel Messi missed the game entirely due to injury.
Argentina started on the front foot, and within just a minute, midfielder Lucho González missed a chance from close range. As the game progressed, with 12 minutes on the clock, Maxi Rodríguez saw an opportunity and chipped Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, but skipper Hany Saied made a brilliantly timed goal-line clearance with his head. The first half was equally competitive, with both sides pushing for a breakthrough, but the scores remained level going into the break.
The second half saw Egypt come out with a much clearer vision, as they took control of the game for the first quarter. Their first major chance arrived when right-back Ahmed Fathi picked out midfielder Mohamed Aboutrika in the box. The playmaker had a wonderful opportunity to put his side ahead but narrowly shot wide, causing manager Hassan Shehata to show his emotions on the touchline.
The breakthrough arrived in the 65th minute, when midfielder Fernando Gago spotted Atlético Madrid forward Sergio Agüero shrugging off the Egyptian defence. A brilliant ball from Gago found Agüero, who took a composed first touch before unleashing a clinical shot into the top-left corner past El-Hadary. Argentina led 1-0.
As Egypt pushed for an equaliser, with five minutes of normal time remaining, the visitors earned a free kick in the right channel of the attacking half. Winger Maxi Rodríguez stepped up and whipped a deep cross into the box. The Egyptian defence left Inter Milan defender Nicolás Burdisso completely unmarked, as he timed his run perfectly and guided a looping header over the stranded El-Hadary into the opposite corner of the net. The second goal put the game to bed, as Argentina came out on top with a 2-0 victory on opposition soil.
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Their other encounter came at the 1928 Olympics, where Argentina triumphed with a 6-0 rout at the Olympisch Stadion in Amsterdam.
Lionel Messi enters this contest in incredible form, currently tied at the top of the World Cup Golden Boot race with seven goals, alongside France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland. The game is certainly one to look forward to.
Written by Madhav Sachdeva, an intern with the online sports desk
