Australia v Egypt LIVE: Egypt make history with penalty shootout win to reach World Cup last 16

Copa Independent | The new World Cup format is broken

Egypt made history by dramatically beating Australia 4-2 on penalties to advance to the World Cup last 16 after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes of play.

Hossam Abdelmaguid tucked ⁠away the ​winning penalty ⁠after Australia missed two, with the Socceroos’ ‘penalty specialist’ goalkeeper Mat Ryan brought on at the end of extra time unable to stop any of the Pharoahs’ four spot-kicks – including Mohamed Salah’s audacious Panenka.

Emam Ashour opened ⁠the scoring for Egypt after 13 ​minutes, ⁠heading home Karim ‌Hafez’s cross, but Australia equalised 10 minutes ‌into the second half as Aiden O’Neill’s free-kick was ⁠headed into his own net by Mohamed Hany for his second own goal of the tournament.

It was Egypt’s first-ever win in a World Cup knockout game and sets up ​a last-16 meeting with ‌Argentina in Atlanta on Tuesday, providing Lionel Messi’s side don’t endure one of the greatest World Cup shocks of all time against Cape Verde in their last-32 clash later this evening.

Relive all the action with our live blog below:

World Cup 2026 Golden Boot: Mbappe vs Messi standings as Kane joins thrilling race to finish top scorer

Not to be outdone, Mbappe has been in excellent scoring touch and a brace against Sweden propelled France to a 3-0 victory and a spot in the last-16 as he once again thrives on the biggest stage. It also sends him above Messi in the standings though they are level on goals scored.

Chris Wilson4 July 2026 00:00

World Cup injury tracker: Neymar, Mohamed Salah and Reece James updates

Neymar, who had been out of action after suffering a calf injury just three weeks out from the tournament, came off the bench for a tearful cameo as the Selecao topped Group C, meaning the 34-year-old could be set to play a greater role in Brazil’s knockouts campaign.

Chris Wilson3 July 2026 23:45

World Cup 2026: Last-16 fixtures, results and full tournament bracket

The last-16 of the 2026 World Cup looms large this weekend.

Among the thrilling ties already teed up for the next round are England’s trip to the Azteca to face Mexico, Spain taking on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and hosts USA against Belgium.

The top two sides in each group qualified for knockouts along with the eight best third-place teams. Uruguay and Scotland were among the 16 nations eliminated, while tournament contenders including Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, England and Germany all topped their groups.

Chris Wilson3 July 2026 23:30

World Cup 2026 TV schedule: How to watch every knockout game live in the UK

The last-32 of the 2026 World Cup is delivering bucketloads of drama for fans to watch live on television.

Of course, you do have to factor in the time difference, with the kinder kick-off times including slots at 6pm BST and 8pm BST, while there are games throughout the night for UK viewers.

Here’s how you can watch every game at the 2026 World Cup on the BBC and ITV – and STV in Scotland.

Chris Wilson3 July 2026 23:15

World Cup Insider: Get a matchday briefing from our writers in the US, Canada and Mexico

The biggest tournament in football is finally here.

Over six weeks, 48 nations will battle it out across the United States, Canada and Mexico, producing unforgettable moments, dramatic upsets, tactical masterclasses and plenty of controversy along the way.

But with matches taking place across multiple time zones and headlines arriving around the clock, keeping up with everything that matters will be a challenge.

That’s where our World Cup Insider newsletter comes in.

Landing in your inbox every morning throughout the tournament, World Cup Insider is your essential guide to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Designed to cut through the noise, it brings together the key stories, standout moments and expert analysis you need to stay on top of the action.

Chris Wilson3 July 2026 23:00

‘It catches you off guard’: The true impact of Azteca altitude for England against Mexico

England have overcome several World Cup obstacles already this summer – yet Thomas Tuchel is fully aware of the seismic challenge that awaits at the cauldron that is the Azteca Stadium in the last-16.

The co-hosts have been whipped up into a piping-hot frenzy over the last three weeks, unleashed most impressively in their last-32 victory against Ecuador. Following a weather delay, the rampant Julian Quinonez and Raul Jimenez landed a pair of haymakers to leave their South American opponents dazed.

Yet England’s most daunting task on Sunday night could well be the conditions, with altitude set to be a great leveller with Mexico City’s iconic Azteca situated 7,220ft (2,240m) above sea level.

Chris Wilson3 July 2026 22:50

England v Mexico kick-off time at World Cup may be brought forward due to storm risk

Some of the biggest news from this evening so far…

Media in Mexico, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, have suggested the game, which is scheduled to kick off at 1am BST on Monday morning (6pm local time on Sunday) will now start at 7pm BST (12pm local) instead. The BBC are also reporting that they understand the game has been brought forward.

That is because of a significant risk of storms in the area when the match is currently scheduled and Mexico already saw their last-32 match against Ecuador earlier this week delayed due to rain.

Chris Wilson3 July 2026 22:40

World Cup fixtures

Just two more games left in the round of the 32 then.

And Colombia take on Ghana early into next morning in the fina game, with kick-off at 2.30am in Kansas City in that one.

(Reuters)
Chris Wilson3 July 2026 22:30

World Cup results

Here’s the full list of results from the round of 32 so far then:

Australia 1-1 Egypt (2-4 pens.)

(AP)
Chris Wilson3 July 2026 22:20

Salah: ‘It’s history’

“It’s history. I told the boys before the game that this is the biggest stage you can play on. Enjoy it and don’t let the pressure get to you,” says Mo Salah after that historic win.

“I’m glad that we managed to in the game, bad luck for them. I’m happy that we wrote history today.”

On the panenka, he adds: “If somebody was going to do it, it would be me! I am more experienced than others and I wanted to give them confidence. I decided last minute, I had to do it,” he added.

(Getty)
Chris Wilson3 July 2026 22:12
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