Argentina vs Egypt Preview - prediction, team news, lineups | FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16

Argentina have won the only match ever played between the sides.

The stakes will be very high, as Argentina will lock horns against Egypt in the Round of 16 at the iconic Atlanta Stadium. Both sides suffered a lot in their Round of 32 matches but somehow managed to advance to the next stage. Argentina beat Cape Verde by 3-2 in extra time, and Egypt beat the Socceroos in penalties.

Lionel Scaloni will be worried for his team after what he saw against Cape Verde. Argentina’s performance was awful, as they were unable to control the tempo of the game and allowed the opposition to play their game. Scaloni will have to make changes to the lineup, as Argentina doesn’t possess any major threat from the wings, and their midfield was very slow in every aspect.

On the other hand, Egypt did really well in their group stage and made it to the knockout stage for the very first time in the World Cup. During the penalty shootout against the Socceroos, the Egyptian side maintained its composure and won the game brilliantly. They will be eager and hungry for more, as they don’t have anything to lose and will pose a big threat to the current World Champions. This will be a mouthwatering clash for sure.

Kick-Off:

• Location: Atlanta, USA
• Stadium: Atlanta Stadium
• Date: Tuesday, 7 July
• Kick-Off Time: 12:00 PM (EST) | 05:00 PM (GMT) | 09:30 PM (IST)
• Referee: TBD
• VAR: In Use

Form

Argentina (in all competitions): W-W-W-W-W

Egypt (in all competitions): W-D-W-D-L

Players to Watch

Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Despite being 39 years old, the little man from Rosario is leading the Golden Boot race with seven goals, along with Kylian Mbappé. Physically, he is in good shape and is helping his side perform well in this edition’s competition. This time, Argentina are too reliant on Messi, but still the star man is delivering his best on the pitch. In all the matches in the World Cup, he has scored, and he will be eager to score more against Egypt for sure.

Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

Salah’s season with Liverpool wasn’t his best, and he left the Reds as a legend. He is a key player for Egypt, and he will be the biggest threat to the opposition side for sure. Despite his poor form, his impact in the game hasn’t been bad at all. He scored a brilliant penalty against Australia in the Round of 32 to help his team reach this stage. He and his team will be very confident after seeing Cape Verde’s performance in the last match. Salah will hope to take his team to glory against the current world champions.

Match Facts

• This will be the first time these two sides will face each other in the FIFA World Cup
• Argentina won the last fixture against Egypt by 2-0
• The last time they faced each other was in 2008

Argentina vs Egypt: Betting Tips & Odds

• Tip 1 – Argentina to win this fixture – 7/19 by UNIBET
• Tip 2 – Both teams to score
• Tip 3 – Goals scored over 1.5

Injury and Team News

Both sides will have a fully fit squad going into this match, and there are no suspension concerns for both sides as well.

Head-to-Head

Matches: 1

Argentina: 1

Egypt: 0

Draws: 0

Predicted Lineups

Argentina Predicted Lineup (4-1-2-3):

Martínez (GK); Molina, Romero, L.Martínez, Medina; Mac Allister; De Paul, Fernández; Messi, Lautaro Martínez, Almada

Egypt Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Shobeir (GK); Hany, Rabia, Ibrahim, Hafez; Attia, Fathy; Salah, Ashour, Ziko; Marmoush

Match Prediction

Both sides are unbeaten till now in the competition, and for the first time they will meet in the World Cup knockout stage. Quality-wise, the current World Champions are a much better team than Egypt, but they haven’t played their best football in the competition so far, so this might go into extra time. Most probably, Argentina will win this fixture.

Prediction: Argentina 4-3 Egypt

Telecast Details

India: Unite8 Sports Channels

UK: ITV & BBC

USA: FOX Sports

Nigeria: DStv

Full Broadcaster List here.

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