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.

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 coach Hossam Hassan and several players criticized the officiating after being left in disbelief as Argentina scored three unanswered goals in 13 minutes to pull off one of the biggest

Argentina's dramatic 3-2 FIFA World Cup 2026 win over Egypt has sparked global controversy. Here's a look at the eight incidents fuelling allegations that the result was rigged. Egypt's head coach Hossam Hassan speaks with French referee Francois Letexier as Egypt's forward #10 Mohamed Salah looks on during the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Argentina and Egypt at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 7,

Egypt FA approached FIFA after World Cup elimination, alleging they were "cheated" in a 2-3 loss to Argentina.