Egypt demand answers after controversial World Cup elimination

Egypt crashed out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a controversial 3-2 defeat to Argentina in their Round of 16 clash in Atlanta, a result that kept the defending champions' title defence alive.

The Pharaohs surrendered a two-goal lead in a dramatic contest dominated by contentious refereeing decisions.

With Egypt leading 1-0, Mostafa Zico thought he had doubled the advantage, only for the goal to be ruled out after a VAR review spotted a foul in the build-up.

Argentina seized the momentum. Lionel Messi, who had earlier missed a penalty, helped his side level before Enzo Fernández headed in a stoppage-time winner.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FIFA World Cup (@fifaworldcup)

The final whistle sparked fury from the Egyptian camp, with players and officials accusing football's governing body of favouring Argentina and Messi through key officiating decisions.

Egypt were particularly angered after Mohamed Salah was denied what they believed was a clear penalty moments before Argentina launched the counterattack that led to the winning goal.

Head coach Hossam Hassan questioned the credibility of the officiating and suggested there was pressure to keep the reigning champions in the competition.

"There have been a lot of things to be questioned on and off the pitch. It's just about credibility, a lack of credibility with how things unfolded. Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running," Hassan told beIN Sports.

The match has divided fans and pundits. While some argued the VAR decisions were technically correct under the Laws of the Game, others questioned the consistency of the technology's application.

Football analyst Ali El Garni told Al Jazeera the foul leading to Egypt's disallowed goal was clear, but questioned how far back VAR should go when reviewing a scoring move.

"The incident leading to the Egyptian disallowed goal was an indisputable foul. The question is how far VAR should go back to check the legitimacy of a goal. Would the goal have been disallowed had it been scored by Argentina? It's unlikely. What's making it worse for Egypt is the fact that a similar incident involving what appeared to be a foul on Mohamed Salah took place before Argentina's third goal, and VAR didn't intervene."

The controversy has reignited debate over trust in football officiating following recent scrutiny of FIFA's decision-making during the tournament.

Argentina will now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals on Saturday, July 11, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.