Argentina - Egypt / 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16

Follow the LIVE broadcast of the Argentina vs. Egypt Round of 16 match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on ŠPORT.sk! The match, also broadcast live on JOJ Šport, kicks off at 6:00 PM CET.

In the World Cup's Round of 16, the reigning world champions Argentina will face the unpredictable African representative, Egypt. While the South American giants are clear paper favorites for this prestigious clash, the "Pharaohs" have repeatedly proven throughout the tournament that they can be an extremely challenging opponent, capable of troubling even the strongest global teams.

Argentina navigated the group stage with absolute ease, dropping no points. Their title defense began with a dominant 3-0 triumph over Algeria, where they denied their opponents a single shot on target, and the legendary Lionel Messi shone with a fantastic hat-trick.

In their second outing, Lionel Scaloni's squad defeated Austria 2-0. Although Messi missed a penalty in this match, he opened the scoring before halftime and added an insurance goal in stoppage time.

Argentina then concluded the group stage with a convincing 3-1 victory over Jordan. After establishing a comfortable 2-0 lead, they allowed their opponents to slightly narrow the scoreline before substitute Messi definitively sealed the win with his third goal of the tournament.

However, a minor shock and a warning sign for the favorites came in the Round of 16, where Argentina encountered a remarkably resilient Cape Verde. After a wild 2-2 draw in regular time, an unfortunate own goal by their opponent in extra time ultimately decided the African sensation's fate, allowing the South Americans to scrape through with a 3-2 victory. A huge positive and driving force for the team remains the fact that captain Lionel Messi has scored in all four of their matches so far in the tournament and is in dazzling form.

Egypt entered the championship with a surprising, yet incredibly valuable, 1-1 draw against favored Belgium. After Emam Ashour's precise strike, the African team held the lead for a long time, but the European favorites equalized after the break due to an unfortunate own goal from defender Mohamed Hany.

In the second round, the Egyptians displayed great mental fortitude, turning around a 0-1 deficit against New Zealand to a final 3-1, coolly capitalizing on their offensive chances after the break.

They concluded their group stage matches with a nail-biting 1-1 draw against Iran. Although they quickly took the lead and their opponent subsequently missed a penalty, Iran managed to equalize, and in stoppage time, a goal that would have sent Egypt home was disallowed only due to offside.

The Egyptians thus secured a hard-fought second place in their group and faced Australia in the Round of 16. Despite being the more active team throughout the match, the game went to a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. They showed stronger nerves in the shootout, winning 4-2, and recorded their first-ever historic victory in the World Cup knockout stage.

Argentina logically remains the overwhelming favorite in this Round of 16 clash. They have scored at least twice in all four of their tournament matches and are currently on an impressive streak of eleven consecutive international victories. However, Egypt presents a very compact, defensively organized game, as confirmed by statistics – three of their four matches so far in the tournament have ended in a draw after 90 minutes.

Another highly tactical match is expected, in which Argentina should have the upper hand and confirm their undeniable quality. However, the African opponent, with its well-drilled defensive block, could significantly complicate their path to the coveted quarter-finals.