- Egypt vs Iran: The Pharaohs survived a late Iran scare to secure a 1-1 draw in Seattle and book their place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage.
- Late drama in Seattle saw Iran have a stoppage-time goal ruled out for offside, denying them a place in the last 32.
- Iran must now wait to see if they will progress as one of the best third-placed teams, while Egypt advanced as Group G runners-up.
Iran’s hopes of securing direct qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout phase were short-lived on Saturday morning after they had a last-minute goal ruled out and also struck the woodwork in a 1-1 draw against Egypt in Seattle.
Shoja Khalilzadeh thought he had scored the decisive winner when he slammed the ball into the net after Egyptian defenders failed to clear it, but Iran’s celebrations were cut short after VAR ruled the goal offside.
The final whistle sounded moments later, leaving the white-shirted Iranian players sprawled on the turf in disbelief.
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With three points, Iran still retain hope of qualifying as one of the eight best third-placed teams.
Mehdi Taremi also struck the crossbar with a header in the closing minutes of normal time.
The Egyptians had learned before kick-off that they had already qualified for the last 32 for the first time in their history, thanks to results elsewhere, but that did nothing to diminish the intensity of a fiercely contested encounter in Seattle.
The Pharaohs raced into the lead in the fifth minute when Mahmoud Saber calmly stroked the ball home.
Iran responded strongly and had a golden opportunity to equalise five minutes later when Taremi won a penalty, but he failed to convert from the spot.
Moments later, Ramin Rezaeian found the net from a tight angle to restore parity.
Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush came on at the start of the second half to inject fresh impetus into Egypt’s attack.
He made an immediate impact midway through the second half when his curling goal-bound effort was deflected behind for a corner.
Mohamed Salah was substituted in the 57th minute and looked visibly unhappy as he made way for Zizo, but the former Liverpool star will no doubt have a key role to play when Egypt face Australia in the next round.
The result also confirmed Senegal’s qualification as one of the best third-placed teams after they ran riot in a 5-0 victory over Iraq on Friday night, meaning Africa now has seven countries through to the knockout phase.
Read more about other World Cup teams in 2026 below:
Morocco national football team 2026
Argentina national football team 2026
Mexico national football team 2026
Spain national football team 2026
Brazil national football team 2026
France national football team 2026
Senegal national football team 2026