The Egyptian Football Association says it “cannot remain silent” after what it believes was unfair officiating in Egypt’s 3-2 Round of 16 loss against Argentina

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.

Lionel Messi and the Egypt coach were involved in a heated exchange after Argentina beat Egypt 3-2 in a controversial FIFA World Cup match.

The Egyptian Football Association on Wednesday criticised refereeing decisions in Egypt's dramatic 3-2 World Cup round-of-16 defeat by Argentina, saying it would not remain silent over what it described as the improper use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.

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's coach Hossam Hassan faces online criticism after an old assault video resurfaced. This footage emerged following his recent accusations of unfair refereeing in a World Cup match.

A top-level referee, who officiated in the 2022 World Cup, has admitted that Egypt were undone in the Round of 16 match against Argentina because of a poor VAR call.