Egypt kept Africa’s hopes alive at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after battling to a 1-1 draw against Iran in an entertaining final Group G encounter at Lumen Field in Seattle on Saturday.
The Pharaohs made a dream start, taking the lead just five minutes into the match through Mahmoud Saber. The ZED FC midfielder calmly finished after Mohamed Salah orchestrated a slick passing move that split open the Iranian defense. Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand rushed off his line and managed to get a hand to the ball, but his clearance fell kindly to Saber, who slotted home into an empty net.
Iran responded immediately and piled pressure on the Egyptian defense. Their persistence paid off in the 10th minute when they were awarded a penalty after an Egyptian defender committed a foul inside the box. Captain Mehdi Taremi stepped up, but his low effort was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. However, Egypt’s relief was short-lived as Ramin Rezaeian reacted quickest to the rebound after Shobeir had parried another effort from Milad Mohammadi, smashing the ball into the net to level the scores.
Both teams continued to create chances in an open first half, but neither could find another breakthrough as the match went into the interval locked at 1-1.
Egypt, who entered the match on four points following a 1-1 draw with Belgium and a 3-1 victory over New Zealand, knew that a win would guarantee top spot in the group. They dominated possession for long periods in the second half and created several dangerous attacks, but Iran defended resolutely and denied the Pharaohs a decisive goal.
Iran thought they had snatched a dramatic winner deep into stoppage time when Taremi found the back of the net from a free-kick situation. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out offside, leaving the Iranian players devastated as their hopes of automatic qualification were dashed.
The draw saw Egypt finish second in Group G with five points, advancing to the newly expanded 32-team knockout stage. Belgium also finished on five points after defeating New Zealand 5-1 in the other group match at BC Place in Vancouver, but claimed top spot on goal difference.
While Egypt missed out on first place, the result was enough to secure their place in the knockout rounds, where they will continue their quest for World Cup glory and carry Africa’s hopes into the next stage of the tournament.