Egypt stun Australia in penalties for historic World Cup win

Egypt turned its first World Cup victory into a knockout breakthrough, beating Australia on penalties at Dallas Stadium and pushing Hossam Hassan’s side into the next round of a tournament that has already rewritten the country’s football history.

The result came barely 11 days after Egypt beat New Zealand 3-1 on June 22, 2026, a match that delivered the nation’s first World Cup win since its debut in the tournament on May 27, 1934. Mostafa Zico, Mohamed Salah and Trezeguet scored in that landmark group-stage victory, and FIFA said Salah’s goal was his 68th for Egypt, moving him closer to Hossam Hassan on the country’s all-time scoring list.

That earlier win had already changed the tone around the team. Egypt reached the knockout rounds of a World Cup for the first time in this campaign, and the Australia match carried a different kind of pressure: the Socceroos were still chasing their first victory in a World Cup elimination game. The winner was due to advance to Atlanta on July 7 to face Argentina or Cabo Verde in the Round of 16.

Salah remained the central figure in that run even after FIFA reported on June 28 that he was dealing with a hamstring strain and had begun treatment. His form, status and responsibility gave Egypt a reference point that extended beyond a single match, and his leadership helped carry a squad that had spent decades without a win on the sport’s biggest stage into a position of real threat rather than symbolic participation.

For Egypt, the significance now goes beyond one emotional night or one star name. The victory over Australia confirmed that the New Zealand result was not an isolated shock but part of a genuine breakthrough, one that has put Egyptian football in a place it has never occupied before in the World Cup era. With Salah still driving the attack and Hossam Hassan’s team now past its old ceiling, the expectation around Egypt has changed as quickly as the results.