Egypt’s campaign in the 2026 World Cup finals ended in disappointment on Tuesday, July 7, with the victory of defending champion Argentina. I turned over He trailed by two goals to win 3-2 in the round of 16. The result was immediately overshadowed by a heated debate over the management of the match.
The Egyptian national team appeared on the verge of pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, thanks to goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico that put coach Hossam Hassan’s side firmly in front, before Christian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez combined to pull off a stunning late comeback for the holders.
French referee François Letexier, not Argentina’s recovery, dominated the post-match conversation as he awarded Zico’s goal. Unlikely After a long time Video Assistant Referee (VAR) A review for committing a foul, while two separate incidents involving Egyptian players inside the Argentine penalty area passed without review. These decisions sparked immediate condemnation from Egyptian players and officials.
“It’s not fair, it’s not fair. The referee was the reason for the defeat.” He said Zico after the final whistle.
Coach Hassan was similarly tough. he He told reporters“We were the better team and imposed our strategy on our opponents. I don’t know why our goal was disallowed.”
“The World Cup is about marketing. They wanted Messi to stay in the tournament as long as possible,” he went further, suggesting that it was the tournament’s commercial interests that shaped the outcome.
The Egyptian Football Association, headed by Engineer Hani Abu Raida Released An official statement echoes these grievances, expressing “strong dissatisfaction” with the refereeing and pointing to what it describes as a failure to apply VAR consistently. The federation said it would take “all measures available under applicable regulations” to defend the interests of the national team, perhaps hinting that it might file a formal complaint with FIFA.
The statement also He praised He thanked the players for presenting performances that “reflect the spirit and character” of Egyptian football, and pledged to continue the national development program that aims to expand youth participation and discover talent in the coming years.
Egypt’s run, which marked their first World Cup appearance in decades, captured the imagination of fans across the Arab world. However, their exit will likely spark controversy long after the tournament is over.