Australia vs Egypt – 2026 World Cup Round of 32 Showdown

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2026 World Cup

Round of 32

Australia vs Egypt

Dallas Stadium

Arlington (Dallas), Texas, USA

Friday, 3 July 2026

03:00

Australia and Egypt will collide in an intriguing 2026 World Cup Round of 32 clash, as the Socceroos aim to overcome a dangerous Egyptian side led by Mohamed Salah.

Current Form

Australia impressively finished second in Group D with four points after claiming a 2-0 win over Türkiye, before losing 2-0 to the co-hosts, the United States and drawing 0-0 with Paraguay.

Egypt, on the other hand, finished second in Group G and advanced to the knockout stage for the first time. They drew 1-1 with Belgium, claimed a 3-1 win over New Zealand, and drew 1-1 with Iran.

Team News

Australia are without Mathew Leckie and Jacob Italian, both ruled out for the remainder of the tournament. The Socceroos will rely on a disciplined defence led by Harry Souttar, midfield energy from Jackson Irvine, and attacking threats from Kusini Yengi or others.

Egypt, meanwhile, should be close to full strength if Mohamed Salah recovers from his hamstring issue, but Mohamed Abdelmonem is being assessed and his availability is uncertain. Coach Hossam Hassan will rely on Yasser Ibrahim in defence and attackers like Trezeguet and Omar Marmoush to step up.

Quotes

“It’s going to be a tough opponent – someone that we’ve been watching quite closely,”  said Australia assistant coach Hayden Foxe on Egypt’s style and preparation.

“They’re a very good side – they have some real natural technical talent. They play kind of fearlessly… All we can do is control how we will measure up and how we will combat the opposition.”

Head-to-head

The two nations have very limited history, having met only once in a senior international match.

In a friendly on 17 November 2010 in Cairo, Egypt won 3-0.

This will be their first-ever competitive encounter — and first meeting at a World Cup.