Egypt beat Australia 4-2 on penalties in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 3, sealing the Pharaohs’ first knockout-stage win in the men’s tournament on Hossam Abdelmaguid’s conversion past Mathew Ryan after 120 minutes of football that ended 1-1. Egypt captain Mohamed Salah played the full distance through a hamstring strain, then buried Egypt’s third penalty in the shootout. Argentina will be the next opponent, after Lionel Messi’s side escaped Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time in Miami on the same day.
How the Shootout Ran
Egypt went four for four in the shootout, scoring through Mahmoud Saber, Rami Rabia, Salah, and Abdelmaguid, in that order. Australia took two of its four attempts, and the Star-Telegram’s shot-by-shot tracker read “XOOX” for the Socceroos and “OOOO” for Egypt, in the order Harry Souttar, Jackson Irvine, Aiden Mabil, and Lucas Herrington for Australia. Souttar ballooned the first Socceroos kick high over the crossbar. Herrington struck the woodwork on his attempt.
Abdelmaguid finished it, the Dallas Morning News reported, sliding across the turf in celebration after his strike into the bottom corner of Ryan’s net, the fourth and final Egypt penalty. Australia had read the shootout coming, swapping goalkeepers with one minute of second-half stoppage time remaining, the Star-Telegram noted, replacing 22-year-old Patrick Beach with 34-year-old Mathew Ryan. Ryan could not stop any of the four Egyptian takers.
The Goal, the Own Goal, and a Missed Chance
Emam Ashour put Egypt ahead in the 13th minute, his second goal of the tournament. Karim Hafez swung a cross to the back post from the right side of the box, and Ashour met it with a diving header past Beach and into the left side of the net, the Dallas Morning News reported. The Star-Telegram’s minute-by-minute account read the same sequence as a set piece from just outside the box that deflected off the Australian wall, the ball kept alive in the area, and Hafez delivering the cross. Either way, the Egypt striker had given the Pharaohs the lead inside a quarter of an hour.
Mohamed Hany, the Egyptian defender, gave Australia the equalizer in the 55th minute, his second own goal of the World Cup. A free kick was awarded after an Egypt foul just outside the box, the Star-Telegram noted, and the delivery deflected off Hany’s head and into his own net, with the first own goal having come in the 66th minute of Egypt’s 1-1 group-stage draw with Belgium, per the Dallas Morning News.
Egypt had a clear chance to settle the match inside the first minute of the second half, when Omar Marmoush, who arrived at the tournament with 11 goals in 52 caps, was found alone in front of Beach and pushed his shot wide of the left post. In the third minute of stoppage time, Rami Rabia met a header in the box that Beach twisted to tip over the bar. The full breakdown, per the Australia-Egypt match statistics page, sits in the table below.
- Attendance: 70,244
- Possession: Egypt 58%, Australia 42%
- Expected goals: Egypt 1.32, Australia 0.84
- Shots on target: Egypt 3, Australia 1
- Big chances created: Egypt 3, Australia 0
Salah Played Through It
Salah injured his hamstring in the 57th minute of Egypt’s 1-1 group-stage draw with Iran on June 26, asked to be substituted out, and was diagnosed with a strained hamstring by Egyptian medical staff, per the pre-match report on Salah’s hamstring strain. He returned to training Wednesday and was observed during the 15-minute media window at Thursday’s final session. For the eve-of-match read on his status, see the pre-match Salah fitness report. Coach Hossam Hassan told a FIFA interpreter on Thursday he would not risk his captain “unless I am sure that he is 100 percent sure of the fact that he is fit and raring to go tomorrow.” The Egypt captain started and played the full 120 minutes, the Dallas Morning News reported. He had a chance to win the match in the 93rd minute but flicked a ball over Beach’s bar from inside the box.
Salah was Egypt’s third taker in the shootout, the Dallas Morning News recorded, and buried a composed penalty down the middle as Ryan dived to his left. As Salah jogged back toward midfield to rejoin his teammates, several of them dropped to their knees and bowed in his direction. The penalty, per Salah, was a last-minute decision. Hossam Hassan, who took over as Egypt’s head coach in February 2024, told a Thursday news conference that his captain belongs in the conversation with the tournament’s best, calling him “one of the best players globally” and adding that “Egypt has won the Africa Cup of Nations seven times, no one has won it more. Egypt is an important team.”
I decided last minute, I don’t know if it’s my last World Cup, so I had to do it.
The Dallas Morning News filed Salah’s quote from his post-match remarks. At 34, he sits one goal from Hossam Hassan’s all-time Egyptian scoring record of 69 across 177 caps. Last season was Salah’s last at Liverpool, the Dallas Morning News noted, where he finished with 193 goals in 328 Premier League appearances across 11 seasons and multiple Golden Boots, and a Ballon d’Or has stayed out of reach.
92 Years to This Round
Egypt has now qualified for four World Cups, in 1934, 1990, 2018, and 2026, per Egypt’s complete World Cup record by tournament. The 1934 edition in Italy had no group stage, and its first round was a Round of 16, with Egypt losing 4-2 to Hungary in Naples in a tournament that was the first by any Middle Eastern or African side. The Pharaohs did not return to the tournament until 1990, then again for Russia 2018, where they finished 31st after three straight losses. It took 92 years for another Egyptian, Mohamed Salah, to exceed the 1934 brace of Abdulrahman Fawzi, the only African scorer at a World Cup for decades, per Wikipedia.
In Group G in 2026, Egypt finished second on goal difference behind Belgium, going 1-1-1 in regulation (a 3-1 win over New Zealand and draws with Belgium and Iran) before the round of 32. The full record across all four World Cup appearances is below.
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Round of 16 | 13th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1990 | Group stage | 20th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2018 | Group stage | 31st | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 2026 | in progress | TBD | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 4 |
What Australia Could Not Do
Australia arrived at AT&T Stadium as Group D runners-up, on a 1-1-1 record: a 2-0 opening win over Turkey, a 2-0 loss to the United States, and a 0-0 draw with Paraguay, per the Star-Telegram. For the pre-match read on the tie, see the round of 32 talking points. The Socceroos had been scoreless for 225 minutes of football since the Turkey win, the Star-Telegram noted at halftime, with the Australia equalizer in Arlington ending the drought. Manager Tony Popovich, asked Thursday about Salah’s hamstring, told reporters, per ESPN: “Yes, we prepared for Mohamed Salah playing. We’ve seen when he’s not on the pitch, the players that are in those positions where he may play, so we prepare for both scenarios, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
Popovich’s preparation was not enough. The two missed penalties in the shootout, both from starting centre backs, finished the Socceroos’ tournament.
Australia became the second team eliminated at this World Cup in a shootout, after Norway’s penalty win over Ivory Coast in the prior match at the same stadium, per the Star-Telegram. The Socceroos’ 0-0 draw with Paraguay had been the third straight result in regulation without an Australia goal. Mathew Ryan, the 34-year-old veteran brought on specifically for the shootout, could not stop a single Egyptian penalty. Australia exits the 2026 World Cup at the round of 32 stage.
Argentina Waits in Atlanta
Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time in Miami on Friday, CBS Sports reported, escaping a tournament debutant that had gone unbeaten through the group stage and drawn with Spain. The result set the round of 16 bracket. Egypt will face Argentina on July 7 in Atlanta, per the Wikipedia article on Egypt at the FIFA World Cup. Both teams will have four days’ rest after playing 120 minutes on Friday, per CBS Sports.
Salah’s 68th international goal leaves him one short of Hassan’s 69-goal record, with at least one more match to play in the tournament. His next club destination beyond Liverpool is also on hold, the Dallas Morning News reported, until the World Cup is over.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score of Egypt vs Australia at the 2026 World Cup?
The match finished 1-1 after 120 minutes, with Emam Ashour’s 13th-minute header cancelled by Mohamed Hany’s 55th-minute own goal. Egypt won the penalty shootout 4-2, with Mahmoud Saber, Rami Rabia, Mohamed Salah, and Hossam Abdelmaguid all converting. Jackson Irvine and Aiden Mabil scored for Australia; Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington missed.
Who scored the winning penalty for Egypt against Australia?
Hossam Abdelmaguid, wearing the number 4 shirt, converted Egypt’s fourth and final penalty past Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan to seal the result. His fourth penalty set off the on-pitch celebration, the Dallas Morning News reported.
When does Egypt play next at the 2026 World Cup?
Egypt face Argentina in the round of 16 on July 7 in Atlanta, per the Wikipedia article on Egypt at the FIFA World Cup. Argentina booked the slot with a 3-2 extra-time win over Cape Verde in Miami on July 3, per CBS Sports. Both teams played 120 minutes on Friday, leaving each side four days to recover before the round of 16, per CBS Sports.
Was Mohamed Salah injured for the Egypt-Australia match?
Salah strained his hamstring 57 minutes into Egypt’s 1-1 group-stage draw with Iran on June 26, per ESPN. He returned to training three days later, was confirmed available by coach Hossam Hassan on the eve of the match, played the full 120 minutes, and scored in the penalty shootout.
How many World Cup knockout matches had Egypt won before 2026?
None. Egypt’s only previous World Cup knockout appearance was a 4-2 loss to Hungary in Naples in 1934, the opening round of that tournament. The 1934 team was the first by any Middle Eastern or African nation to play at a World Cup, per the Wikipedia article on Egypt at the FIFA World Cup. Friday’s penalty win was the Pharaohs’ first knockout-stage victory at a World Cup since 1934, when the round was first played.
