Argentina's dramatic comeback from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 has been overshadowed by refereeing controversy, with Egypt coach Hossam Hassan accusing match officials of "cheating" his side out of a place in the quarter-finals.

FIFA has drawn flak for naming an all-Argentine referee panel for the quarterfinal match between France and Morocco.

The small coffee house in Cairo was turned Tuesday into a tiny stadium. Several hundred people, mostly men and boys as young as seven, gathered around wall-mounted screens ahead of the kickoff whistle.

Mostafa Zico also declared the World Cup 'fixed' after Lionel Messi and Argentina mounted an improbable comeback to oust Egypt.

For Mohamed Salah and Egypt, what could have been a glorious celebration turned ugly at end. On the cusp of upsetting the defending World Cup champions, the Pharaohs squandered a two-goal lead late in the game and lost to Lionel Messi and Argentina 3-2 in the round of 16 Wednesday.

Egypt manager Hossam Hassan has sensationally accused FIFA of 'rigging' the World Cup after his side crashed out of the 2026 tournament in the round of 16 after being beaten 3-2 by Argentina. Egypt were 2-0 up with 78 minutes on the clock but Argentina completed a comeback in injury time to win 3-2 and progress to the quarter-finals where they will play Switzerland.