Egypt Outraged Over Controversial VAR Decisions in World Cup Loss to Argentina

Egypt was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup round of 16 after a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in Atlanta on Tuesday. Despite holding a two-goal lead and benefiting early on from Lionel Messi missing a penalty, Egypt conceded three late goals between the 79th and 92nd minutes. The Egyptian team and fans expressed intense anger toward referee François Letexier and the VAR system, accusing them of disallowing a legitimate goal by Egypt’s Mostafa Ziko and allowing a questionable Argentine goal.

Egyptian media and players claimed the refereeing decisions were biased, with Ziko himself stating, "The referee was biased from the start and tried to stop us constantly." Coach Hossam Hassan openly accused the match of being fixed, saying, "It was a clearly rigged game, and the whole world saw it. They wanted to keep Messi in the tournament." He also criticized the perceived favoritism toward Argentina, the defending champions.

VAR officials and some analysts defended the decisions, with Archivio VAR confirming both the penalty awarded to Argentina and the disallowed Egyptian goal were correct calls. English journalist Rob Harris noted the VAR ruling was legal but questioned the technology’s application in reviewing incidents far from the ball. Former player and commentator Jamie Carragher criticized the inconsistency of VAR decisions in the tournament.

Despite the controversy, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi praised the national team for their historic performance and encouraged them to look forward positively. The defeat marks a painful exit for Egypt, who had been close to a major upset against the reigning world champions.

Summary: Egypt was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after a 3-2 loss to Argentina, amid widespread anger over VAR decisions that disallowed an Egyptian goal and allowed a disputed Argentine goal. Egyptian players and coach accused the match officials of bias, while VAR authorities defended the calls. President el-Sisi praised the team’s effort despite the defeat.