Egypt reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time after a 1-1 draw against Iran in Seattle, while Iran will wait to discover if they qualify from the expanded 48-team tournament, Softfootball reports.
Egypt secured their first World Cup win of the 2026 tournament after a 3–1 comeback victory over New Zealand. The Pharaohs finished second in Group G and will now face Australia in the round of 32 in Arlington, Texas, on July 3.
Egypt started strongly and took the lead in the fifth minute through Mahmoud Saber. Mohamed Salah created danger inside the box before Saber fired his effort through the legs of Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
Iran responded quickly, equalising nine minutes later through Ramin Rezaeian to keep their knockout hopes alive. They almost completed a dramatic comeback in stoppage time when Shoja Khalilzadeh scored in the 93rd minute, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review showed an offside.
Had the goal stood, Iran would have secured qualification, but the draw leaves them dependent on other results to determine whether they progress.
Player Ratings
Egypt
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Mostafa Shobeir | 7.2 |
| Ahmed Fatouh | 7.1 |
| Ramy Rabia | 6.5 |
| Mohamed Abdelmonem | 5.9 |
| Mohamed Hany | 8.1 |
| Emam Ashour | 6.2 |
| Mohanad Lasheen | 7.1 |
| Trezeguet | 7.6 |
| Mahmoud Saber | 7.7 |
| Mostafa Zico | 6.2 |
| Mohamed Salah | 6.0 |
Iran
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Alireza Beiranvand | 6.4 |
| Ali Nemati | 6.8 |
| Shoja Khalilzadeh | 6.8 |
| Hossein Kanani | 6.1 |
| Milad Mohammadi | 7.3 |
| Ramin Rezaeian | 7.9 |
| Mohammad Mohebbi | 6.7 |
| Saeid Ezatolahi | 7.1 |
| Mohammad Ghorbani | 6.9 |
| Saman Ghoddos | 6.6 |
| Mehdi Taremi | 7.0 |
Match Statistics
| Statistic | Egypt | Iran |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 53% | 47% |
| Attacks | 14 | 16 |
| Goal Kicks | 1 | 2 |
| First Half Possession | 62% | 38% |
| Total Attempts | 8 | 6 |
| Shots on Target | 2 | 3 |
| Corner Kicks | 4 | 0 |
| Offsides | 0 | 1 |
| Yellow Cards | 2 | 2 |
