The Egyptian national team, led by its coach Hossam Hassan, began preparations to face its Argentine counterpart on Tuesday evening, as part of the round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup competitions.
The Egyptian national team was able to continue its path in the World Cup tournament after defeating the Australian national team last Friday evening on penalties with a score of 4-2.
The match between Egypt and Australia ended in a 1-1 draw in regular and extra time, with the "Pharaohs" goal scored by Imam Ashour from a header.
In contrast, the Argentine national team's qualification to the same round came after a difficult and exciting victory over the Cape Verde national team by three goals to two.
The match is expected to feature the appearance of Argentine star Lionel Messi, who is the top scorer for the "Tango" national team with seven goals, tied with French star Kylian Mbappé.
Messi, the all-time World Cup top scorer with 20 goals, managed to score in all of his country's matches in the current edition, held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Messi scored three "hat-trick" goals against the Algerian national team in the first round, then two goals against the Austrian national team in the second round, and one goal against the Jordanian national team in the third round.
In the round of 32, the Argentine national team captain opened his country's scoring against the Cape Verde national team.
Before the Egyptian national team's match, Messi has previous encounters with Egyptian clubs, as well as Egyptian professionals.. To learn about 10 players from the Egyptian national team who have previously faced Messi, click here or view the attached album in the topic
