Dallas Stadium stages a World Cup last 32 tie between Australia and Egypt on Friday evening, with a place in the round of 16 against Argentina or Cape Verde at stake.
Australia finished second in Group D on four points, edging Paraguay on head-to-head goal difference after a goalless final-day draw. Egypt came through Group G in second place on five points, missing top spot only on goal difference behind Belgium.
Both sides carry the same motivation into their first competitive meeting — Egypt have reached the last 16 of a World Cup only once before, in 1934, while Australia last did so in 2022. This is the match that will define both nations’ summers.
Australia vs Egypt – Match preview and team news
- Date: Friday, 3 July 2026
- Kick-off: 19:00 BST
- Venue: Dallas Stadium
- Referee: Gustavo Tejera (Uruguay)
- Last meeting: Egypt 3–0 Australia, November 2010, friendly
Team news
Australia
Tony Popovic is without Jacob Italiano, who has a groin problem, and Mathew Leckie, who has not recovered from the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the Paraguay draw. Lucas Herrington is expected to continue at centre-back alongside Harry Souttar and Alessandro Circati.
Nestory Irankunda, who scored against Türkiye on matchday one, leads the line again. Popovic could name an unchanged side from the Paraguay match, retaining the compact 5-3-2 structure that has served him throughout the group stage.
Egypt
Mohamed Salah is carrying a hamstring problem sustained in the Iran draw and his involvement is uncertain, though Egypt’s medical staff are hopeful he will be fit to start. Several other players are also being assessed: Hamdy Fathy (groin), Hossam Abdelmaguid (head), Mohamed Abdelmonem (ankle) and Ahmed El Fotouh (hamstring) are all doubts.
Mohanad Lasheen is suspended after collecting a second yellow card against Iran. Omar Marmoush leads the attack alongside Salah if the Liverpool forward is cleared, with Mostafa Mohamed Ashour providing width.
Form
Australia
Popovic’s side took a route through Group D that reflected their limitations and their resilience. A 2–0 win over Türkiye on matchday one, in which Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe scored, raised early confidence. A 2–0 defeat to the USA on matchday two was chastening. A disciplined 0–0 draw with Paraguay on matchday three secured second place.
Australia’s 5-3-2 system is difficult to break down and difficult to score from — their group-stage xG across three matches sat under two. The platform has been solid. The question is whether they carry a goal threat capable of troubling Egypt’s defence.
Egypt
Hossam Hassan’s side went unbeaten in the group stage. An opening 1–1 draw with Belgium was followed by a 3–1 win over New Zealand and a 1–1 draw with Iran, the latter confirming second place. Salah was directly involved in five of Egypt’s six goal contributions in the group, a statistic that underlines how central he is and how vulnerable they are if he cannot start.
Omar Marmoush has yet to score despite registering 0.83 xG across 211 minutes. Egypt are organised, efficient and dangerous on the counter. They will need one or both of their forwards to deliver here.
Predicted lineups
Australia predicted XI (5-3-2): Beach; Circati, Souttar, Herrington; Bos, O’Neill, Irvine, Behich; Volpato, Irankunda, Metcalfe
Egypt predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Shobeir; Hany, Ibrahim, Rabia, Hafez; Ateya, Saber; Ziko, Salah, Ashour; Marmoush
How to watch Australia vs Egypt?
The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on ITV1 and ITVX.
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