With Ghana and five other African sides eliminated, Egypt now carry the continent’s hopes into a Round of 16 date with world champions Argentina.
Morocco are already through to the quarter-finals. Now it’s Egypt’s turn to try. With Ghana, Senegal, Algeria, DR Congo, South Africa, Ivory Coast and Cape Verde all eliminated, the Pharaohs are the last chance for a second African team in the last eight — and they’ve drawn about as hard a test as the bracket could offer: reigning world champions Argentina, on July 7 in Atlanta. For Nigerian fans still fully invested in this tournament without the Super Eagles, this is the African storyline of the week.
Egypt’s route to the Round of 16 was anything but smooth. They needed penalties to see off Australia in the last 32 after a 1-1 draw stretched into extra time, with Emam Ashour’s opener cancelled out by an own goal before Mohamed Salah stepped up and converted from the spot in the shootout. It was Egypt’s first knockout win at a World Cup finals — a genuine piece of history for a country that has qualified for the tournament many times but rarely progressed this far.
Salah remains the heartbeat of this Egypt side. He carries the kind of individual quality that can trouble any defence in the world, Argentina’s included, and Egypt’s whole gameplan against Australia showed a team happy to sit in, stay compact, and wait for one moment of magic from their captain.
Argentina have not made this easy on themselves either. The world champions needed extra time to get past Cape Verde 3-2 in the last 32, with debutants Cape Verde and their 40-year-old goalkeeper pushing Lionel Messi’s side to the brink before Cristian Romero’s deflected header finally settled it. That result should give Egypt real belief — if a World Cup debutant can take Argentina that close, a battle-hardened Egyptian side built around a defensive block and Salah’s threat on the counter has a route into this game too.
Argentina remain heavy favourites on paper, with Messi still directing everything from midfield and a squad built to grind out knockout football. But this Argentina side has looked stretchable when opponents sit deep and stay organised — exactly Egypt’s template so far in this tournament.
Bet tip: Argentina to Win — ~1.45. Egypt +1 (Handicap) — ~1.65 is the value play if you expect another close-fought Egyptian knockout tie.
Morocco reaching the quarter-finals is already a landmark result for the continent this tournament, matching their run to the semi-finals in Qatar 2022 for sheer weight of expectation back home. A second African quarter-finalist alongside them — especially one built around a win over the reigning champions — would cap what has statistically been Africa’s best-ever World Cup, with nine nations reaching the round of 32 in the expanded format. Full details on both remaining sides are on the Egypt World Cup 2026 guide and the Morocco World Cup 2026 squad and fixtures page.
For Nigerian fans, there’s an obvious emotional pull here too. Egypt going deep into this tournament, powered by Salah, is the closest thing available to Super Eagles ambition by proxy — a reminder of what a fully fit, in-form African superstar can do on the biggest stage.
Kick-off: July 7, time to be confirmed locally — check FIFA.com for the exact WAT kick-off as it’s finalised.
Venue: Atlanta Stadium
If Egypt win, they face the winner of Switzerland vs Colombia — also on July 7 — in the quarter-finals. Whatever happens, this has already been a World Cup Africa will remember. Keep an eye on our World Cup accumulator tips for the latest multi-bet picks as the knockout rounds continue, and check BBC Sport for live updates on the day.
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