Egypt face Australia in World Cup knockout clash in Dallas

Egypt arrived at Dallas Stadium on Friday to prepare for a round-of-32 meeting with Australia, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. local time and a place in the round of 16 at stake. The Faraons came in with a milestone already secured, their 3-1 comeback over New Zealand delivering Egypt’s first World Cup victory after more than nine decades in the competition. Mohamed Salah supplied the decisive goal, and Hossam Hassan’s side finished second in the group.

Egypt debuted at the World Cup on May 27, 1934, and the wait for a first win stretched across generations before Salah settled the New Zealand match. That breakthrough changed the tone around this run immediately, because another victory in Dallas would send Egypt into a stage it has rarely reached with real momentum behind it.

Australia also advanced as a group runner-up, and it arrived with a different burden, the search for its first victory in a World Cup knockout match. The meeting between the sides was unprecedented in a World Cup elimination round, which gave Friday’s game a rare edge even before the opening whistle. The winner will move on to face Argentina or Cabo Verde in Atlanta on July 7.

Dallas Stadium, also known as AT&T Stadium, has become one of the tournament’s showcase venues and is scheduled to host nine matches in the 2026 World Cup, including this round-of-32 contest and a semifinal. For Egypt, the assignment was clear: keep Salah central to the attack, reproduce the urgency that turned the New Zealand match, and manage the pressure that comes with trying to turn a first-ever group-stage win into a deeper run on the global stage.