Egypt’s national team coach Hossam Hassan criticized World Cup officiating and suggested outside influence after his side’s 3-2 loss to defending champions Argentina on Tuesday in the round of 16.
The match was played in Atlanta as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Iran. Hassan said he would not watch any more games in the tournament, telling a post-match press conference that Egypt “suffered an injustice” and “have been treated unfairly” by the referee and the video assistant referee system.
The controversy centered on several decisions. Egypt led 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining before Argentina staged a late comeback with goals from Cristian Romero in the 79th minute, Lionel Messi in the 83rd, and Enzo Fernández in the 92nd minute.
Egypt had a goal by Mostafa Zico disallowed after a VAR review for a foul in the buildup, and the team protested a potential penalty for a challenge on Mohamed Salah moments before Argentina’s winner. Hassan said Egypt objected to French referee François Letexier’s appointment before the match and questioned why a goal was disallowed.
Hassan linked the outcome to factors beyond the pitch. He told reporters that “perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” adding that “the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it”. He called the match “clearly a rigged match” and said “the cup is directed towards Argentina”. FIFA and match officials have not publicly responded to the allegations.