Australia starting lineup vs Egypt confirmed for FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match

Australia and Egypt last faced each other in 2010 in a friendly.

Australia are set to face Egypt in their round-of-32 clash at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Socceroos are currently the only team from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) remaining in the tournament.

Drawn in group D, Australia commenced their FIFA World Cup campaign with a 2-0 triumph over Turkiye. Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe scored for Tony Popovic’s side during their win over Turkiye, who were seen as the dark horses for the summer competition. The Socceroos defended deep in their opening game against the Crescent-Stars, who took 28 shots.

However, they lost to the co-hosts, the USA, in their second game. The Socceroos have failed to score a single goal in the tournament since then. After losing 2-0 to the USA, they drew 0-0 with Paraguay. The other two sides of the group have qualified for the round of 16 after winning their respective knockout games against Germany and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Thus, the Aussies would also look forward to qualifying for the last 16 for the third time in their history. They reached the round of 16 in the last edition as well; however, they were eliminated by eventual champions Argentina.

Also Read: List of all nations qualified for Round of 16 of FIFA World Cup 2026

Australia lineup for the FIFA World Cup match against Egypt

Australia lineup (5-4-1): Patrick Beach; Alessandro Circati, Harry Souttar, Lucas Herrington; Aziz Behich, Aiden O’Neill, Jackson Irvine, Jordan Bos; Connor Metcalfe, Nestory Irankunda, Cristian Volpato.

Thoughts on the lineup

Patrick Beach will start in the goal for the Socceroos, while Alessandro Circati, veteran Harry Souttar, and Lucas Herrington will feature in the three-man defence for Tony Popovic’s side. While the Australian side has struggled to score goals, they have managed to keep clean sheets in two of their three games.

Tony Popovic’s tactics depend fairly on the midfield. Thus, Aziz Behich, Aiden O’Neill, Jackson Irvine, and Jordan Bos will be tasked with duties in both the attacking and defending departments.

The two goal scorers in the World Cup so far, Connor Metcalfe and Nestory Irankunda, will team up with Cristian Volpato to start in the attack for the Aussies. The look looks balanced; however, they will have to create opportunities and convert them into goals.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.