Argentina vs Egypt Preview

Tuesday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium sees the world champions face one of the tournament’s most resilient sides in what looks on paper like a considerable mismatch — but Egypt have already proved at this World Cup that they are capable of grinding out results against more fancied opponents, and Argentina will not take them lightly.

Argentina have been exceptional throughout this tournament, the only side to win every single game they have played. Their most recent outing was a 3-2 win over Cape Verde after extra time in the Round of 32 — a match that proved tighter than expected but ultimately confirmed the Albiceleste’s quality in the decisive moments. Prior to that, they won away to Jordan 3-1 in the group stage. Before that, a 2-0 home win over Austria and before that a 3-0 home win over Algeria completed a dominant group campaign. Earlier in this run, a 3-0 home win over Iceland in a pre-tournament friendly set the tone. Messi remains the heartbeat of this team — his movement, passing range, and ability to find space in tight games is unmatched at this level. With Mac Allister and De Paul providing the engine in midfield and Martínez stretching defences, Argentina have the tools to break down any defensive setup.

Egypt arrived in the Round of 16 via a penalty shootout victory over Australia, having drawn 1-1 after extra time in the Round of 32 — their most recent outing. Prior to that, they drew 1-1 at home to Iran in their final group match. Before that, they won 3-1 away to New Zealand. Earlier in this run, a 1-1 draw away to Belgium — one of the group stage results of the tournament — showed their defensive discipline and ability to hold shape under sustained pressure. Their pre-tournament loss away to Brazil 2-1 was a useful indicator of their ceiling against elite opposition, but Egypt have since proven they can exceed expectations. Salah leads the attack with his usual craft and intelligence, and the defensive structure built around Rabia and Ateya in midfield is designed to frustrate and absorb.

The head-to-head record favours Argentina, who have won both of the known meetings between these sides. Most recently, Argentina won 2-0 away in Egypt in a friendly in March 2008. In the previous encounter, Argentina beat Egypt 6-0 at home in an Olympic Games fixture in 1928.

Egypt will look to remain compact and frustrate Argentina into errors, hoping to exploit any moments on the counter through Salah and Marmoush. For Argentina, patience will be key — if they can open Egypt up early and take the lead, the game should play into their hands. A resilient Egypt may keep it tight, but the quality difference across the pitch ultimately favours the Albiceleste.

In the UK, the match is live on ITV 1 and available to stream via ITVX. In Argentina, viewers can watch on Televisión Pública, Telefe Argentina, and TyC Sports Argentina. In Egypt, the game is available on beIN SPORTS CONNECT and beIN Sports MAX 1 Arabia. In the United States, it is live on FOX Network and fuboTV.

Possible Lineups

Argentina (4-4-2) Martínez, Molina, Romero, Martínez, De Paul, Mac Allister, Fernández, Martínez, Medina, Almada, Messi

Egypt (4-2-3-1) Hafez, Marmoush, Ateya, Rabia, Shobeir, Ibrahim, Fathi, Ziko, Salah, Ashour, Hany

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Group J — Final Standings

Pos	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P
1	Argentina	3	3	0	0	8	1	+7	9
2	Austria	3	1	1	1	6	6	0	4
3	Algeria	3	1	1	1	5	7	-2	4
4	Jordan	3	0	0	3	3	8	-5	0

Argentina — Last 5 Matches

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Argentina	3–2	Cape Verde	World Cup	03/07/26
✅	Jordan	1–3	Argentina	World Cup	28/06/26
✅	Argentina	2–0	Austria	World Cup	22/06/26
✅	Argentina	3–0	Algeria	World Cup	17/06/26
✅	Argentina	3–0	Iceland	Friendly	10/06/26

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Group G — Final Standings

Pos	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P
1	Belgium	3	1	2	0	6	2	+4	5
2	Egypt	3	1	2	0	5	3	+2	5
3	Iran	3	0	3	0	3	3	0	3
4	New Zealand	3	0	1	2	4	10	-6	1

Egypt — Last 5 Matches

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Australia	1–1 (pen)	Egypt	World Cup	03/07/26
🤝	Egypt	1–1	Iran	World Cup	27/06/26
✅	New Zealand	1–3	Egypt	World Cup	22/06/26
🤝	Belgium	1–1	Egypt	World Cup	15/06/26
❌	Brazil	2–1	Egypt	Friendly	06/06/26

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Head-to-Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Egypt	0–2	Argentina	Friendly	26/03/08
Argentina	6–0	Egypt	Olympic Games	06/06/28

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TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Great Britain	ITV 1, ITVX, STV Scotland, BBC Radio 5 Live
Argentina	Televisión Pública, Telefe Argentina, TyC Sports Argentina, DGO
Egypt / Arab World	beIN SPORTS CONNECT, beIN Sports MAX 1 Arabia
USA	FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo
France	beIN Sports 1, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, myCANAL
Brazil	SporTV, Globo, Globoplay, CazéTV
Spain	DAZN Spain, DAZN Mundial
Germany	Das Erste, MagentaTV
Canada	TSN+, TSN1, TSN3, RDS
Australia	SBS, SBS On Demand