Egypt advanced to the last 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after beating Australia 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time on July 3 in North America [1, 2]. This marked Egypt’s first ever victory in a World Cup knockout stage match [1, 3].

Mohamed Salah, 34, started for Egypt despite a hamstring strain he suffered against Iran during the group stage on June 27, which forced him off in the 57th minute [4, 5]. Salah had scored once prior to the Australia match and requested a substitution due to injury against Iran [4]. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said before the match, "I'm not going to run any risk unless I'm 100 percent sure he is fit and raring to go tomorrow" [5].

Egypt’s lineup featured several injury replacements including Karim Hafez and Yasser Ibrahim in defense, missing Ahmed Fatouh and Mohamed Abdelmonem [6]. Omar Marmoush started alongside Salah up front, replacing Mahmoud Trezeguet [6]. Australia kept the same starting eleven as their final group game, with Mathew Leckie still sidelined due to injury [6].

Egypt scored first at 13 minutes through Emam Ashour, who headed home a cross from Karim Hafez [1, 2]. Australia equalized 10 minutes into the second half via an own goal by Mohamed Hany off an Aiden O’Neill free kick [1, 2]. The match remained tied through 90 minutes and extra time.

During the penalty shootout, Egypt converted 4 of their attempts while Australia scored twice, missing their first and fourth penalties [1, 7]. Salah calmly scored his penalty with a Panenka-style chip, deciding on it at the last moment [8]. Coach Hassan encouraged his players to block out pressure, telling them: "Just think about your penalty kick. Don't even think about the goalkeeper, only your kick" [9]. Australia substituted goalkeeper Mathew Ryan and captain just before penalties for added experience, but coach Tony Popovic said it did not change the outcome: "They took really good penalties" [7].

Egypt advanced unbeaten from the group stage with a win over New Zealand and draws against Belgium and Iran [4, 10]. Jordan Bos of Australia called Salah "a top player… We’ll definitely have to look at how we can stop him and Egypt" [10]. After the victory, Salah said, "I'm happy we wrote history today" [2].

Egypt’s next fixture in the tournament will be in the last 16, with dates and opponents to be confirmed.