Today, July 3, 2026, at 9:00 PM Bulgarian time, the national teams of Australia and Egypt face each other at the impressive stadium „Dallas Stadium“ (known as AT&T Stadium) in Arlington, Texas. The collision is part of The 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 promises huge drama as both teams chase historic first victory in the elimination phase of the World Cup. The winner of this match will continue to the round of 16, where they will face the winner of the Argentina - Cape Verde pair.
The road to the eliminations and a tactical clash
Australia, led by coach Tony Popovich, remained the only representative of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in the tournament. The “Kangaroos“ secured second place in Group “D“ with an asset of 4 points. They started strongly with a 2-0 win over Turkey, followed by a 2-0 loss to the USA and a goalless draw with Paraguay. The Australians rely on an exceptionally solid defence led by Harry Sutar and youngster Lucas Herrington, who have conceded just two goals in the group stage. Up front, the big responsibility falls on 20-year-old talent Nestori Irankunda.
Egypt, on the other hand, rewrote their history by overcoming the group stage for the first time in the modern era. Led by Hossam Hassan, the "Pharaohs" finished second and unbeaten in Group "G". They recorded 1-1 draws against Belgium and Iran, as well as a historic first victory at a World Cup - 3:1 against New Zealand.
Team news: Salah is ready
The big news in the Egypt camp is the return of superstar and captain Mohamed Salah. The 34-year-old forward suffered a hamstring strain against Iran but has now resumed training and is expected to lead the attack alongside Omar Marmouch. The "Pharaohs" however have serious personnel problems in defence - left-back Ahmed Abu El Fatouh is out with a muscle tear, while centre-back Mohamed Abdelmonem remains a doubt. Australia's camp has defender Jacob Italiano out for the rest of the tournament, while experienced Matthew Leckie is also out for the match.
Probable starting lineups:
- Australia (3-4-2-1): Beach; Herrington, Chirkati, Sutar; Behich, Irvine, O'Neill, Boss; Volpato, Metcalfe; Irankunda.
- Egypt (4-2-3-1): Shobeir; Hani, Rabia, Y. Ibrahim, Hafez; Atiya, Saber; Zico, Salah, Trezeguet; Marmush.
The main referee of the clash will be the Uruguayan Gustavo Tejera. The bookmakers and Opta's supercomputer predict an extremely even match, giving a slight advantage to Egypt due to the higher individual class in the front positions.
Sources: FIFA.com, BTA, Sportal.bg.