Argentina secured a remarkable 3-2 win over Egypt in a mind-bending match in the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday, which booked them a spot in the tournament quarterfinals. The defending champions appeared on the verge of elimination, but picked up the pace in the last 14 minutes to score three goals and make it one of the coolest comebacks in the history of the tournament.
Argentina were shocked to be 2-0 down in the first minute after Egypt’s Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico scored in succession. Lionel Messi also had a truncated opening half when he had his penalty saved by Egypt’s Mostafa Shobeir, making the task of Argentina’s next pitch a tall order.
The country regained its spirits in July with a comeback by Cristian Romero, who pulled one back for Argentina. Messi instantly found the referee in the writing pad to score in the same direction, setting off a frenzy of celebration among Argentine fans, and putting Egypt in a bind.
The match was set to go into extra time when Enzo Fernandez would come up trumps too in the dying moments of play, a memorable bounce-back and Argentina’s inclusion in the last eight.
Argentina’s dramatic breakthrough victory over Cape Verde is etched in the minds of the massive crowd just days short of the tournament, which is a representation of why Argentina remains one of the tournament favourites. Messi was clearly moved by the final whistle as Argentina took to the celebration of another remarkable flight from the World Cup.
Egypt defended well all day and were also brilliant with their counter-attacking but most of all they couldn’t accept the loss of their two-goal lead early in the game.
Heading into the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals on July 12, Argentina will hope to bounce back against either Colombia or Switzerland to defend their world cup title.