Egypt's incredible run at the FIFA World Cup 2026 is over. When the African nation qualified for the 48-nation tournament, little did anyone imagine that they would be on the cusp of eliminating the World Champions.
In Atlanta, the Pharaohs took a two-goal lead over Argentina, thanks to strikes from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko. Unfortunately for them, La Albiceleste's never-say-die attitude, aided with some poor refereeing calls, denied them the opportunity to become the fifth team after Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, Ghana in 2010 and Morocco in 2022, to qualify for the quarter finals of FIFA World Cup finals.
In this tournament, they held Belgium and Iran for 1-1 draws, two nations that are placed above them in the FIFA rankings and then eliminated Australia, who were in their sixth successive World Cup finals campaign and seventh overall against Egypt's fourth, via penalty shootouts.
At the heart of this brilliant show was Mohamed Salah. In the World Cup, Salah scored one goal and provided two assists. However, the 'Egyptian King', a moniker that Salah earned during his trophy-laden time at Liverpool, was way more impactful than what those numbers tell.
The 34-year-old sustained a hamstring injury during Egypt's group-stage matches. There were doubts about how much will the skipper be involved in Egypt's first-ever knockout game against the Socceroos. But Salah recovered just in time and completed all 120 minutes against Australia before confidently converting a Panenka penalty during the shootout.
Those performances were particularly impressive considering the doubts surrounding Salah before the tournament. During a tumultuous 2025/26 campaign at Liverpool, his last at Merseyside, his seven goals and seven assists, was his least productive season in 11 years.
However, at this World Cup, Salah ran down the wings, dribbled past the opponents, found the back of the net and, most importantly, inspired the team.
Videos of Salah celebrating Egypt's first-ever World Cup victory after the 3-1 win over New Zealand showed that he was enjoying his football again and still possessed the hunger and quality that had made him one of the world's best.
Multiple reports suggest several of Europe's biggest clubs are interested in signing Salah. So when the club football returns, Salah could be back amongst the elite.
Yet, when François Letexier blew the final whistle in Atlanta, the immediate reality was bittersweet. Two icons donning the legendary No. 10 jersey were left in tears.
For Lionel Messi, it was the sheer relief of keeping alive Argentina's dream of becoming the first back-to-back World Champions since Brazil in 1962. For Salah, it was the heavy, lingering realization that he had likely just walked off the grandest stage in football for the very last time.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.