Egypt beat New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver late on Sunday night, recording the country’s first World Cup win in 92 years and breaking a streak of seven winless matches across four tournament appearances. Mohamed Salah scored the go-ahead goal in the 67th minute, and a Trézéguet header in the 82nd sealed the result. The victory lifted the Pharaohs to the top of Group G on goal difference, with one match left to play.
The win arrived in a tournament Egypt entered under the weight of its own history. They were the first Arab and African team to play in a World Cup, debuting in Italy in 1934, and they had gone winless across their next three appearances. On Sunday in Vancouver, a 1-0 halftime deficit, a hostile BC Place crowd, and 43 minutes of work gave way to a second-half turnaround that has not happened for Egypt at this tournament before.
Three Second-Half Goals, 92 Years in the Making
Finn Surman headed New Zealand into a 15th-minute lead from Tim Payne’s corner, punishing an Egypt side that had begun slowly. New Zealand had six first-half shots, four of them inside the penalty area; Egypt matched the shot count but managed only two from inside the box. The halftime numbers, taken from the post-match report, told a story of control without penetration.
Egypt came out for the second half and promptly forced a save from Max Crocombe inside the first 40 seconds. The breakthrough came in the 58th minute. Mohamed Hany swung a cross from the right, Mostafa Ziko rose near the six-yard line, and his header flicked past Crocombe’s glove to level the match. The Pharaohs had three unanswered goals in front of them, and a tournament problem to solve.
It took them nine more minutes. Ziko dragged two defenders with him down the right channel, back-heeled into Salah’s path inside the box, and Salah finished low to the bottom-left corner for a 2-1 Egypt lead. Salah pumped both fists as teammates mobbed him, then was replaced in the 85th minute to a standing ovation. Trézéguet closed the scoring from Salah’s corner, his diving header bouncing in at the far post for his 24th international goal and his first at a World Cup. Egypt finished the match with 19 shots to New Zealand’s 11, with seven on target and 12 from inside the box, and held 50% of possession to New Zealand’s 39%.
Every Other Time Egypt Was Here
Egypt had never won a World Cup match before Sunday. The record across the four previous appearances, 1934, 1990, 2018 and the new one, was three draws, six losses, and not a single victory until the final whistle in Vancouver.
In 1934, they travelled to Italy as the first Arab and African team ever to play in the tournament, and lost 4-2 to Hungary in a single-match Round of 16, a competition format that gave them no path back. In 1990, they returned after a 56-year gap, the longest ever between two World Cup matches for any nation, drew with the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland, and lost 1-0 to England. In 2018, the group stage brought three losses: 0-1 to Uruguay, 1-3 to Russia, and 1-2 to Saudi Arabia. Across those three tournaments, Egypt conceded 12 goals and scored 5. Salah’s generation chasing Egypt’s first World Cup win was the headline running into this tournament. On Sunday, that generation delivered.
- 1934 – Round of 16 – lost 4-2 to Hungary (Fawzi 31′, 39′)
- 1990 – Group stage – drew Netherlands 1-1, drew Republic of Ireland 0-0, lost to England 0-1 (0W-2D-1L)
- 2018 – Group stage – lost to Uruguay 0-1, lost to Russia 1-3, lost to Saudi Arabia 1-2 (0W-0D-3L)
- 2026 – Group G – drew Belgium 1-1, beat New Zealand 3-1, vs Iran on June 26
Salah at 68, Closing on Hassan’s Mark
The 67th-minute goal was Salah’s 68th international goal, a number he had been tracking in the background of the tournament. The post-match celebration, and the standing ovation when he came off in the 85th, marked him out as the night’s central figure. The Pharaohs’ head coach, Hossam Hassan, was the named Man of the Match, but the venue note in the official records went to Salah.
He now sits one goal behind the all-time mark, and the holder is the man who sent him on. Hossam Hassan, Egypt’s head coach and a forward who played for the national team between 1958 and 2006, finished his international career with 69 goals. Hassan is one of ten players to have appeared in three of Egypt’s World Cups, and the man who, by his own account on Sunday, restructured how he used his captain in Vancouver.
I am maybe the first coach to let him play in a position that matches his danger, that matches his capabilities and qualities. We worked on so many things, and I am sure we are going to see more from him.
The words came from Hossam Hassan, Egypt’s head coach, speaking to reporters after the match. The tactical shift, pushing Salah into a more central pocket with Ziko and Omar Marmoush around him, is the closest thing to a named, deliberate wager in the Pharaohs’ run. On Sunday the wager returned three goals and a group-stage lead.
- 19 – Egypt’s total shots, to New Zealand’s 11
- 50% – Egypt’s share of possession
- 68 – Mohamed Salah’s international goals after Sunday
- 1 – Goals Salah now trails Hassan’s 69-goal mark
Group G Reshuffled After Sunday
The three first matches in Group G all ended level, including Belgium’s 0-0 draw with Iran earlier on Sunday, which left the section wide open before kickoff in Vancouver. Egypt’s win put a four-team separation in place for the first time in the group, and dropped the All Whites to the bottom.
With two matches played, Egypt lead Group G on four points, one clear of Iran and Belgium, who sit level on two points and identical goal difference. New Zealand have one point and a minus-two goal difference, and are still without a World Cup win in their third tournament appearance. Egypt’s path forward is the simplest in the section. Friday’s match against Iran in Seattle decides the group title; even a loss, depending on the New Zealand-Belgium result, leaves a knockout-round route open through the third-place rankings.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Iran | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Belgium | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| New Zealand | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
Belgium opened the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Egypt on June 15, a result decided by Hany’s own goal that denied Egypt the win against Belgium, before drawing 0-0 with Iran on Sunday. The Belgians have yet to score from open play in this tournament.
New Zealand’s First Half That Slipped Away
For 45 minutes in Vancouver, the All Whites played the sort of match that travels well. Surman’s header was a clean connection on a well-worked set piece, and the team kept Egypt’s shots from inside the box to two across the first half. By the interval, the New Zealand bench had a result to defend, and a halftime plan to refine.
It did not survive the second half. Darren Bazeley, the New Zealand head coach, called the post-match feeling “frustrating” and described a side that had been “comfortable” at the break, then lost both tempo and quality after it. New Zealand now face Belgium in Seattle on Friday, with the section’s third-place route the only remaining path to the knockout round, and a first World Cup win of any kind still outstanding. Egypt took the Group G lead on a night when New Zealand’s first half deserved at least a point, and Bazeley’s players knew it.
Egypt Can Now Reach the Knockout Round
Egypt had opened the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Belgium on June 15, a result that put a point on the board but no win. The match in Vancouver was the second of three, and the only one that offered a clean path to victory against a team below them in the FIFA rankings. Egypt are ranked 29th; New Zealand are 85th. The Egypt bench needed a result and got one.
What they now have is a clear route to the knockout round, the second time in Egypt’s history after the 1934 Round of 16, and the first time as a group-stage finisher. A win against Iran on Friday would clinch the group. A draw keeps second place in their hands.
Salah summed up the night in two short sentences. “It’s a great win. It’s a great vibe.” The next sentence, after a pause, was about Friday.
In years to come, we will remember that this was one of the achievements in history.
The words were Salah’s, the captain’s, after the match in Vancouver. Al Jazeera reports Egypt are “all but assured of advancing to the knockouts no matter the result” in Friday’s final group match against Iran.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Egypt first play at a World Cup?
Egypt debuted at the 1934 World Cup in Italy, where they became the first Arab and African team ever to play in the tournament. They were eliminated in the Round of 16, losing 4-2 to Hungary.
How many World Cup matches had Egypt won before the New Zealand game?
None. Across 1934, 1990 and 2018, Egypt had gone 0W-3D-5L in seven matches. The 3-1 win over New Zealand on June 21, 2026 was the first.
Who scored Egypt’s goals in the 3-1 win over New Zealand?
Mostafa Ziko headed in the 58th-minute equaliser from Mohamed Hany’s cross, Mohamed Salah finished a Ziko back-heel in the 67th, and Trézéguet headed in Salah’s 82nd-minute corner.
Where does Salah stand on Egypt’s all-time scoring list?
Sunday’s goal was Salah’s 68th in international football, one behind head coach Hossam Hassan’s 69-goal mark. Hassan scored his 69 across a playing career that ran from 1958 to 2006.
When is Egypt’s next match, and what does it mean for the group?
Egypt face Iran in Seattle on Friday, June 26. A win would clinch the Group G title. A draw would leave second place in their hands, with third place still a route to the knockout round.
