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Lionel Messi and Argentina meet Egypt in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. ET from Atlanta Stadium.
Argentina went undefeated in their group stage, beating Algeria 3-0 in their opener, Austria 2-0 in their second match and Jordan 3-1 in their third match. In the round of 32, World Cup Cinderella Cape Verde gave the defending champs all they could handle, but Argentina prevailed 3-2 in extra time. Lionel Messi is tied with Norway’s Erling Haaland and France’s Kylian Mbappé for the top of the Golden Boot Race, scoring seven times in the tournament so far.
Egypt drew 1-1 with Belgium in their opener, beat New Zealand 3-1 in their second match, drew 1-1 with Iran in their third match and drew 1-1 with Australia before advancing on penalty kicks in the round of 32.
Below are the details on how to watch.
How to Watch Argentina vs. Egypt
Argentina vs. Egypt Preview
Lionel Messi against Egypt’s last line is the clearest pressure point in this match.
Argentina still runs through Messi, and he is in sharp form. Argentina also keeps the ball well and creates a steady stream of attacking sequences, so Messi is likely to keep getting touches in the spots that decide games.
Egypt has enough resistance to make that battle real. Mohamed Salah has been their main creator with 15 chances created. Egypt’s crossing game has been productive enough to score 3 headed goals, which means they can force Argentina to defend and keep Messi from living in the final third all match. If Egypt can survive those early Messi touches and make Argentina defend wide service and second balls, the game stays tense.
Watch the first stretch when Messi starts finding pockets around the box, because that will tell you whether Egypt is containing the tournament’s hottest finisher or spending the day scrambling.
Player to Watch
Lionel Messi
Forward
Argentina
It is hard to think of things that have not been said about Messi, but the Inter Miami attacker has now scored in eight straight World Cup matches. In his career, Messi has 12 goal contributions in the knockout stages of the World Cup. He remains at the heart of everything Argentina does, and even at his age, that might be enough for Argentina to win a second straight title.
Argentina vs. Egypt Odds
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