Defending champions Argentina will take on Egypt in one of the standout fixtures of the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 after both nations survived dramatic round-of-32 encounters to keep their title dreams alive.
Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina were given a stern examination by tournament surprise package Cape Verde before eventually prevailing 3-2 after extra time in a pulsating contest.
Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute, but Cape Verde twice fought back to level the scores through D. Duarte and S. L. Cabral, underlining the resilience that has made the African nation one of the revelations of the tournament.
Lautaro Martínez restored Argentina’s lead early in extra time before an unfortunate own goal by D. Borges in the 111th minute ultimately proved decisive, sending Lionel Scaloni’s side through despite Gonzalo Montiel’s late dismissal.
Cape Verde exited the competition with their heads held high after pushing the reigning world champions to the brink of one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.
Egypt also needed extra time and penalties to secure their passage after battling to a 1-1 draw with Australia.
The Pharaohs took an early lead through Emam Ashour in the 13th minute, only for Australia to restore parity in the second half as the match remained deadlocked after 120 minutes.
In the ensuing shootout, Egypt held their nerve to claim a 4-2 victory on penalties, becoming the first African nation to book a place in the last 16 from Friday’s fixtures.
The result sets up a mouth-watering encounter with Argentina, as Egypt seek to pull off another major upset against the defending champions and two-time World Cup winners.
Argentina will head into the contest as favourites, buoyed by the experience and leadership of Messi, but the South Americans have already shown signs of vulnerability after their hard-fought victory over Cape Verde.
For Egypt, confidence will be high after eliminating Australia, with the North Africans hoping to continue their impressive World Cup campaign and become the first African side to knock out the reigning champions in this year’s tournament.
The highly anticipated last-16 clash promises to pit Argentina’s attacking firepower against Egypt’s resilience in what is expected to be one of the marquee ties of the knockout stage.