Egypt’s Football Association has lodged a formal complaint with FIFA following the Pharaohs’ controversial Round of 16 defeat to defending champions Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, calling for the match officials to be removed from the remainder of the tournament.
The dramatic encounter in Atlanta ended in heartbreak for Egypt after Argentina produced an astonishing late comeback to win 3-2 and advance to the quarter-finals, where they will face Switzerland.
Egypt appeared to be on course for one of the biggest upsets of the tournament after taking a 2-0 lead and holding that advantage until the closing stages of the match. However, Argentina mounted a remarkable fightback, with goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernández completing an extraordinary turnaround.
Despite Argentina’s comeback, the match has become dominated by fierce criticism of the refereeing, with Egyptian officials, players and coaching staff claiming several decisive decisions unfairly influenced the outcome.
Egypt Questions Key Refereeing Decisions
The Egyptian Football Association argues that the match turned on a series of controversial incidents that went against the African side.
The most disputed moment came shortly before Argentina scored the winning goal.
Egypt claim Julián Álvarez fouled Mohamed Salah inside the penalty area after making contact with his foot before winning possession. Moments later, they also argue that Alexis Mac Allister illegally pulled Egyptian midfielder Hamdi Fathy as Argentina launched the counterattack that ultimately ended with Fernández scoring the decisive goal.
According to Egyptian officials, neither incident received a meaningful review from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), despite protests from players.
Earlier in the match, Egypt also had a goal disallowed after forward Zizo finished off a swift counterattack. Following a VAR review, officials ruled that Lisandro Martínez had been fouled during the build-up, leading to the goal being overturned.
Egyptian FA Calls for Referees to Be Removed
According to Argentine outlet TyC Sports, Egyptian Football Association president Hany Abo Rida has formally requested that FIFA investigate the officiating of the match.
The complaint reportedly asks FIFA to remove French referee François Letexier and his officiating team from the remainder of the World Cup.
The Egyptian federation is seeking an investigation into:
- The disallowed Egyptian goal.
- The alleged foul on Mohamed Salah inside the penalty area.
- The alleged holding offence on Hamdi Fathy immediately before Argentina’s winning goal.
- The absence of VAR intervention during those incidents.
As of now, FIFA has not publicly responded to the complaint or announced whether it will review the officiating team.
Egyptian Players Accuse Officials of Bias
Following the final whistle, Egyptian players expressed anger over the officiating.
Goal scorer Zizo claimed the referee consistently worked against Egypt throughout the match.
“The referee wasn’t good. He was unfair. His injustice was obvious. He was against us from the beginning of the match. He didn’t want us to win.”
He went even further by suggesting the outcome had been predetermined.
“It was a rigged game. It wasn’t our fault. We were leading 2-0, and everything changed. Congratulations to Argentina on another World Cup—it seems.”
Head Coach Questions FIFA
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan also launched a strong criticism of both the officiating and FIFA.
He argued that Egypt had outperformed the reigning world champions but claimed events beyond the players’ control decided the result.
“We were better than the world champions in every aspect of the game, but the result was influenced by factors both on and off the pitch.”
He further suggested that commercial and sporting interests may have influenced the competition.
“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the tournament. Perhaps they wanted Messi to remain in the competition.”
FIFA Yet to Respond
FIFA has not commented publicly on Egypt’s allegations or indicated whether the complaint will lead to disciplinary action or a review of the officiating team.
Argentina, meanwhile, progress to the World Cup quarter-finals after one of the tournament’s most dramatic comeback victories, while Egypt leave the competition amid lingering controversy over one of its most contentious matches.
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