Egyptian Football Association has lodged a formal complaint with FIFA over the officiating in Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Egypt surrendered a two-goal lead in the closing stages as defending champions Argentina scored three late goals to book a place in the quarter-finals. Lionel Messi played a key role in the comeback by scoring once and creating another.
The Egyptian camp was left angered by several refereeing decisions, including the disallowing of a goal after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review and the failure to review an appeal for a penalty in the build-up to Argentina’s winning goal.
Speaking after the match, Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan alleged that his team had been treated unfairly.
“We looked better than the reigning champions, but the result was influenced by factors beyond football,” Hassan told reporters, suggesting that officials had favoured Argentina.
He also criticised the appointment of French referee François Letexier and questioned the failure of VAR to review a challenge involving Egypt captain Mohamed Salah before Argentina scored the decisive goal.
Following the defeat, the Egyptian Football Association submitted an official complaint to FIFA, requesting an investigation into the officiating and the application of VAR during the match.
Argentina will now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals as they continue their defence of the World Cup title.
FIFA had not publicly responded to Egypt’s complaint as of the time of filing this report.
