The Egypt national team has bowed out of the 2026 World Cup round of 16 following a thrilling 3-2 defeat against Argentina at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Pharaohs put on a heroic performance, taking an early lead through Yasser Ibrahim in the 14th minute, before Mostafa Ziko doubled the advantage in the 65th minute.
Just as fans believed an upset was secured, Egypt suffered a dramatic late collapse in the final 10 minutes—a recurring curse that has plagued almost every African nation in this tournament, with the exception of Morocco.
Argentina’s Late Comeback Against Egypt
The Argentine fightback began in the 79th minute when Cristian Romero scored a powerful header. Just four minutes later, Lionel Messi netted the equalizer in the 83rd minute.
Egypt’s Omar Marmoush had a golden opportunity to restore the lead for the Pharaohs but failed to convert. Seconds later, Argentina launched a flawless counter-attack, which concluded with Enzo Fernández heading home the match-winner in the 92nd minute.
The Late-Goal Curse Haunting African Teams
This last-minute heartbreak has been a brutal, recurring trend for African teams during the knockout stages of this World Cup:
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South Africa: Suffered a round of 32 elimination after Canada scored a 92nd-minute winner to seal a 1-0 victory.
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Ivory Coast: Held Norway to a tense draw until Erling Haaland struck in the 86th minute to send the Elephants home.
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Senegal: In a scenario identical to Egypt’s, the Teranga Lions led Belgium 2-0 before shockingly conceding three late goals to lose 3-2.
Following Egypt’s exit, Morocco remains the only African team left in the tournament. All other African representatives have been eliminated in either the round of 32 or round of 16, except for Tunisia, who crashed out in the group stage.
