No team has won back-to-back World Cups since Brazil did so in 1958 and 1962, but after France fell just shy on penalties in the 2022 final, Argentina seems to have a good chance of finally breaking the drought this year. The Albiceleste have a fairly friendly draw to the July 19 final, and they’ll face Egypt at 12 p.m. ET with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line.
The winner will face either Colombia or Switzerland in the third-to-last stage. If Argentina triumphs, it’ll be the fifth time in the last six tournaments that the Albiceleste have made at least the last eight, while the Pharaohs — who are coming off of their first-ever knockout win — would tie Morocco (both in 2022 and 2026), Cameroon, Senegal, and Ghana as the African team to make the second-deepest run in history.
Throughout the World Cup, DraftKings Network will be highlighting several of the tournament’s marquee matchups, breaking down every goal and major moment. Here’s how this penultimate Round of 16 matchup played out:
Argentina vs. Egypt odds
Argentina is a -300 favorite to win in regular time (-1000 to advance to the quarterfinals) at DraftKings Sportsbook, and Egypt is +1000 (+550 to advance). There are +390 odds that the teams will be level after 90 minutes.
Tracking Argentina vs. Egypt
Follow along as DKNetwork tracks the Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt! This section will be updated.
FT: AND WHAT UNBELIEVABLE HEARTBREAK FOR EGYPT AND ELATION FOR ARGENTINA! THE DEFENDING CHAMPS SURVIVED A SCARE AGAINST CAPE VERDE, AND THEY LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE GOING OUT HERE, BUT NEVER COUNT OUT LIONEL MESSI! THE ALBICELESTE ARE INTO THE QUARTERFINALS AND WILL HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE IF THEY FACE SWITZERLAND OR COLOMBIA AT THAT STAGE! COULD THIS BE THE LAST FOR MOHAMED SALAH AT THE WORLD CUP?
90’+11: And this is the final chance for Egypt!
90’+5: To make matters even worse for the Pharaohs, as they were protesting for a penalty kick to nullify that Argentinian goal, Shobeir and Fathy both received yellow cards. The Albiceleste have made some changes, switching to a five-at-the-back formation to see this one out.
90’+2: AND THE COMEBACK IS COMPLETE FOR THE ALBICELESTE! AFTER SOME EGYPTIAN PRESSURE ON EMI MARTíNEZ, ARGENTINA STARTED A COUNTER, AND LAUTARO MARTÍNEZ SENT IN A BEAUTIFUL BALL FOR ENZO FERNÁNDEZ TO HEAD HOME IN A ONE-ON-ONE NEAR THE EDGE OF THE SIX-YARD BOX! FERNÁNDEZ SENT IT BACK ACROSS THE GOAL FOR PERHAPS THE BEST AND MOST IMPACTFUL GOAL OF HIS CAREER!
90’+1: That was a tremendous tackle by Leandro Paredes to stop a Pharaohs counter! Omar Marmoush, who was subbed on for Zico right after Argentina’s first goal, was making a great run!
89′: Anyways, now that the chaos has settled, Egypt has shifted to try to push this match to extra time, and Shobeir just made a great punch-out to save what could’ve been a demoralizing goal!
83′: AND THERE IT IS! THESE TEAMS ARE LEVEL! LIONEL MESSI SCORED FROM THE CENTER OF THE BOX, BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DID! ARGENTINA 2, EGYPT 2, AND THE ALBICELESTE’S DREAM OF GOING BACK-TO-BACK REMAINS ALIVE! AND OF COURSE, ARGENTINA IS BACK TO -450 TO ADVANCE!
82′: THAT WAS ALMOST THE EQUALIZER! MESSI SET UP LAUTARO MARTíNEZ AFTER A SENSATIONAL RUN, AND HIS HEADER MISSED WIDE TO THE RIGHT! WHAT A GAME THIS IS!
79′: OH, THIS GAME IS ON NOW! EGYPT 2, ARGENTINA 1! CRISTIAN ROMERO, WHOSE HEADER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WINNING OWN GOAL AGAINST CAPE VERDE, BEAT SHOBEIR TO THE NEAR POST AFTER AN EXCELLENT CROSS FROM MESSI! MESSI HAS NOW BROKEN DIEGO MARADONA’S RECORD FOR THE MOST CAREER ASSISTS IN THE WORLD CUP! IT’S ROMERO’S FOURTH GOAL FOR THE ALBICELESTE, BUT HIS FIRST IN A WORLD CUP!
77′: Trézéguet had an opportunity to make it 3-0! He fired into the side netting from a difficult angle, ending the chance, but that was another great through ball by the Pharaohs!
75′: After the hydration break, Gonzalo Montiel — who netted the winning penalty in the 2022 World Cup final against France — is now on in place of Nahuel Molina. Could Molina’s tournament be over?
71′: Now, it’s time for the second half hydration break, and the Albiceleste are on the brink! Egypt is up to -545 on the Moneyline and -650 to advance! Argentina is +1400 on the Moneyline! Could we be witnessing the last 20 minutes of Lionel Messi’s international career?!
67′: THIS TIME, ZICO’S GOAL WILL COUNT! 2-0 TO THE PHARAOHS, AND IT’S WELL-DESERVED! AFTER A FAST-BREAK, HASSAN MADE A MAN MISS AND GOT TO THE END LINE BEFORE CENTERING IT TO ZICO! WHAT AN AMAZING RUN FOR MO SALAH, SOME POOR DEFENDING BY ENZO FERNÁNDEZ, AND SOME GREAT POSITIONING BY MOSTAFA ZICO!
66′: Some changes for Lionel Scaloni: Tagliafico and De Paul have come off, and Nico González and Lautaro Martínez are on! With both Martínez and Julián Álvarez on, Messi will probably shift into more of a midfield role.
65′: Argentina is still pushing, but Karim Hafez managed a great clearance to deny what looked like a doable header! Egypt can feel it deserves to be up 2-0, but it has certainly done enough to hold its 1-0 lead!
60′: NO, THE GOAL WILL NOT COUNT! THERE WAS A FOUL AT THE VERY START OF THE SEQUENCE, ALL THE WAY ON EGYPT’S DEFENSIVE END OF THE PITCH! STILL A 1-0 LEAD FOR THE PHARAOHS, BUT MARWAN ATTIA HAS COST HIS TEAM ITS BREATHING ROOM!
58′: EGYPT IS NOW UP 2-0! WHAT AN INCREDIBLE RUN BY HAISSEM HASSAN TO FIND MOHAMED SALAH, WHO SENT THROUGH A BRILLIANT THROUGH BALL AHEAD TO MOSTAFA ZICO, AND ZICO BEAT MARTíNEZ TO THE NEAR POST! THIS IS SPECIAL!
57′: Argentina has had pretty consistent pressure on Egypt’s goal this half, but the Pharaohs have been defending brilliantly! Their chemistry with Cairo-based Al Ahly is definitely evident so far. Three of the five starters on the back line play for the club, which is widely considered Africa’s best.
52′: Mo Salah was free on goal from his own defensive half, but he was called for a foul on Leandro Paredes! That could’ve turned into something had he not fouled him.
49′: Messi had made a decent run, but Ramy Rabia made a great challenge to get back and force a goal kick! The pass was slightly over-cooked, forcing him closer to the end line than he might’ve preferred, but it was still a decent chance and better defending!
47′: There goes that man again! Shobeir has made his first save of the second half after a weak effort from Rodrigo De Paul at the top of the box!
46′: We’re back for the second half, and Hamdi Fathy is indeed in for Emam Ashour. Can the Albiceleste turn it around, something they’ve never done while trailing at half in a knockout game? Technically, Argentina was the much better side in the first half, managing seven shots worth 1.51 expected goals to Egypt’s two shots for 0.21 expected goals, but that’s largely informed by the penalty miss! If not for that, the teams have been relatively comparable from open play!
HT: THAT WILL DO IT FOR THE FIRST HALF OF ACTION IN ATLANTA! EMAM ASHOUR LOOKS TO HAVE SUFFERED AN INJURY AND WILL LIKELY COME OUT AFTER THE BREAK, BUT THE STORY IS THE CURRENT SCORE: EGYPT 1, ARGENTINA 0. THE PHARAOHS ARE 45 MINUTES AWAY FROM THEIR FIRST-EVER WORLD CUP QUARTERFINALS. THE ALBICELESTE ARE STILL -185 FAVORITES TO GO THROUGH AND +135 TO WIN IN REGULAR TIME, BUT EITHER COULD WIN.
45’+5: Messi tried to find Enzo Fernández, but he was offside! The last good chance of the half for Argentina went to waste!
45’+2: Messi had made the same run that he did to score the opener against Cape Verde, but Karim Hafez was prepared and headed it away to deny him!
43′: Álvarez just left it for Messi, but that was a little bit too ambitious, as an Egyptian defender was in between him and the Argentina captain. Those are the sorts of risks that look brilliant if they pay off, but in that situation, the Atlético Madrid man probably should’ve just taken it himself.
39′: AN AMAZINGLY-TIMED RUN BY NICOLÁS TAGLIAFICO, A SOLID VOLLEY WITH JULIÁN ÁLVAREZ’S LEFT FOOT, AND AN EVEN BETTER DIVING SAVE BY SHOBEIR! WHAT A SEQUENCE!
38′: WHAT WAS THAT, MESSI?! He managed to get a look on his magical left foot from just outside the 18-yard box, but the ball sailed well over the bar. A goal might have been unexpected from there, but that one didn’t go anywhere near the target!
35′: Karim Hafez just tried a very, very audacious shot from well outside the box, and it sailed well over the crossbar! That was a gift for the Albiceleste to give them a goal kick.
31′: That wasn’t a terrible effort for Messi, but he hit the post past the outstretched arms of Shobeir! He couldn’t quite curl it back enough, and Shobeir was smart to let it go instead of conceding a corner.
30′: Alexis Mac Allister earned a free kick about 30 yards away from the goal! We know what happens in these situations…all eyes are on Lionel Andrés Messi.
28′: The Albiceleste nearly scored there, but Mostafa Shobeir stood tall to deny Alexis Mac Allister with a header from close range! Still 1-0 for the Pharaohs, and what a performance this is from the Al Ahly goalkeeper!
23′: Hydration break time! Lionel Scaloni will need to make the most of these tactical discussions, as Argentina remains behind!
21′: OH MY GOODNESS, HE’S MISSED AGAIN! HE MISSED ONE AGAINST AUSTRIA IN THE SECOND GROUP STAGE GAME, AND NOW MOSTAFA SHOBEIR DOVE LOW AND TO HIS LEFT AND DENIED MESSI! MESSI DIDN’T GET THE BALL CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE BOTTOM CORNER, AND THAT’S HIS FOURTH MISSED CORNER AT THE WORLD CUP IN HIS CAREER!
19′: AND NOW ARGENTINA HAS DRAWN A PENALTY! HASSAN BROUGHT DOWN NICOLÁS TAGLIAFICO IN THE 18-YARD BOX, AND THE ONE AND ONLY LIONEL MESSI WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SCORE HIS 21ST WORLD CUP GOAL AND LEVEL THIS MATCH!
17′: That’s such sloppy play by Argentina, which trails for the first time this World Cup! A turnover deep in its own territory nearly led to a brilliant opportunity for Mohamed Salah that could’ve made it 2-0!
15′: AND IT PAID OFF WITH A GOAL! EGYPT 1, ARGENTINA 0! YASSER IBRAHIM JUST BEAT EMILIANO MARTÍNEZ WITH A HEADER TO THE FAR POST AFTER A BRILLIANT CROSS BY MARWAN ATTIA! IS AN UPSET ON THE CARDS?
14′: One might’ve expected Egypt to sit back and park the bus given the talent differential between the two sides, but that’s not what the Pharaohs have done! They seem to have learned from Cape Verde, taking the front foot against the defending champs!
9′: Argentina looked to have a great chance that Enzo Fernández blew! As it turned out, though, Rodrigo De Paul was about two yards offsides by the time Alexis Mac Allister found him in the buildup play, so it wouldn’t have mattered that Fernández blew the tap-in wide of the near post.
8′: That was a decent run towards the far post and a great cross whipped in by Mohamed Salah, but Lisandro Martínez was there to head it away and deny any opportunity! Both teams are pressing in what has been a high-tempo game, even if that was the first real chance on goal that either team has had.
5′: No shots so far for either team, and frankly, neither has really looked at goal at all. Alexis Mac Allister made one run into the box, but that’s just about it.
1′: We have action in Atlanta! Some major lineup news for both teams: Argentina will start Julián Álvarez in place of Lautaro Martínez, and for Egypt, youngster Haissem Hassan will make his first start after playing well as a substitute in the win over Australia.
Additional World Cup Coverage
For additional World Cup coverage from the DraftKings Network, check out the World Cup landing page here:
- How to Watch Today’s 2026 World Cup Games: TV, Streaming Info and Odds for Tuesday, July 7
- Best Argentina vs. Egypt FIFA World Cup Round of 16 Parlays for July 7
- Argentina vs. Egypt prediction, pick for Tuesday 7/7/26
- Will Lionel Messi Score at the 2026 World Cup Against Egypt?
NOTE: Prop bet rulings are subject to official scoring and could change after the match.