Egypt Beat Australia on Penalties to Reach First-Ever World Cup Round of 16

• Egypt created history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Australia in a dramatic penalty shootout to qualify for the Round of 16 for the first time ever.

Egypt have booked their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after defeating Australia on penalties following a hard-fought 1-1 draw after extra time, marking the country’s first-ever victory in a World Cup knockout match.

The Pharaohs kept their composure in the shootout, converting all five penalties before Hossam Abdelmaguid calmly fired home the winning spot-kick after Australia’s Harry Souttar and youngster Lucas Herrington both missed.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, who scored with a composed Panenka penalty, was visibly emotional after the final whistle, while Egypt manager Hossam Hassan celebrated in tears as his side achieved a historic milestone.

Hassan Dedicates Victory to Palestinians

After the match, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan dedicated the famous victory to the Palestinian people.

“My heart and soul are with the Palestinian people. I thank them and dedicate this victory to them. We succeeded in making Arab people proud. I wanted to win for the sake of the good people. God is honouring us because of the good people who are here,” he said.

The result sends Egypt into the World Cup Round of 16 for the first time since 1934, when the tournament featured only 16 teams and the North Africans were eliminated by Hungary.

Ashour Opens Scoring

Egypt took the lead in the 13th minute through Emam Ashour, who headed home after Karim Hafez returned a rebound into the box following a well-worked free-kick.

Ashour, who has enjoyed an impressive tournament, had earlier seen his initial effort blocked before reacting quickest to nod home his first World Cup knockout goal.

Australia struggled to create meaningful opportunities for much of the contest, although Cristian Volpato came close in the first half with an effort that clipped the crossbar.

Australia Fight Back

The Socceroos eventually found an equaliser ten minutes into the second half when Mohamed Hany accidentally headed Aiden O’Neill’s free-kick into his own net.

Both teams pushed for a winner during extra time, but neither could find the breakthrough, sending the contest to penalties.

Australia manager Tony Popovic introduced experienced goalkeeper Mat Ryan specifically for the shootout, replacing Patrick Beach late in extra time.

However, Ryan failed to stop any of Egypt’s penalties as the Pharaohs converted every spot-kick with confidence.

Police Incident Before Match

Egypt’s preparations for the match had been overshadowed by an incident involving team director Ibrahim Hassan and a Dallas police officer at the team’s hotel.

Videos circulating online appeared to show the officer confronting Hassan after intervening while a player attempted to pose for a photograph with a child.

The Egyptian Football Federation later described the incident as “a minor altercation” but criticised local security officials over what it called “poor handling” of the team’s arrival and the “harsh demeanour” of police officers.

Dallas Police later acknowledged that an incident occurred, saying some individuals had “not displayed credentials properly.”

Next Opponent

Egypt will now face the reigning world champions Argentina, as they continue their historic World Cup journey.