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2026 FIFA World Cup
4JUL

Argentina reach last eight; Egypt out

2 min read
10:34UTC

Argentina beat Egypt 2-0 in Atlanta on 7 July to reach the quarter-finals, leaving Morocco as the only African side still standing.

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Key takeaway

Argentina advance to the quarter-finals, leaving Morocco as Africa's only remaining side.

Argentina beat Egypt 2-0 in Atlanta on 7 July, sending the holders through to the quarter-finals 1. Egypt, one of only two African sides left in the draw, go out. No goalscorer has yet been confirmed.

That leaves Morocco as Africa's sole quarter-finalist , survivor of a record ten-nation African entry that had put nine teams into the last 32 . A continent that arrived with its largest field yet is down to one team as the tournament narrows.

Argentina do not yet know their opponent. The winner of Switzerland against Colombia in Vancouver takes the final quarter-final place and meets Argentina in Kansas City on 12 July.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Argentina, the team that won the last World Cup in 2022, beat Egypt 2-0 in Atlanta on 7 July to reach this tournament's quarter-finals, the round played by the best eight teams left. Egypt is out. That result also settles a wider story: Morocco, a North African country that reached the semi-finals in 2022, is now the only team left from Africa's 54 countries, after nine other African qualifiers had already been eliminated.

Deep Analysis
Root Causes

Nine of Africa's ten qualifiers reached the last 32 partly because the expanded 48-team format created extra qualifying slots continent-wide compared with 2022. That volume did not carry into the round of 16: most of those nine sides, including Egypt on 7 July, met opponents from federations whose squads play far denser high-level club minutes in the preceding season.

Morocco's continued run draws on the same core that reached the 2022 semi-finals, a squad built overwhelmingly from players contracted to European clubs rather than Morocco's domestic Botola Pro league, the recruitment pattern most of the continent's other 2026 entrants could not match.

What could happen next?
  • Consequence

    Argentina do not yet know their next opponent, with the Switzerland-Colombia winner in Vancouver taking the final quarter-final place against them in Kansas City on 12 July.

  • Meaning

    Morocco now carries sole responsibility for African representation in the tournament's latter stages, raising the profile of its 9 July quarter-final against France.

Sources:ESPN
Mentions:Argentina →Egypt →Morocco →Switzerland →Colombia →Lionel Messi →Vancouver →Atlanta →Cameroon →World Cup →Kansas City →South Africa →
First Reported In

Update #36 · All three hosts out as Belgium beat USA

ESPN· 7 Jul 2026
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Causes and effects
Caused by
Africa's ten cut to two survivors
Morocco and Egypt were already Africa's last two survivors before Egypt's elimination left Morocco alone.
Occurred 4 Jul 2026
Read story →
Nine African nations reach the knockouts
The record nine-nation African run into the round of 32 set up the continent's later attrition to a single survivor.
Occurred 2 Jul 2026
Read story →
Switzerland edge Colombia in a shootout
Switzerland's win over Colombia completes the quarter-final draw against Argentina, who had already qualified.
Occurred 7 Jul 2026
Read story →
This Event
Argentina reach last eight; Egypt out
Egypt's exit reduces a record African contingent to a single quarter-finalist, Morocco.
Led to
Africa's last team out as France win
Egypt's defeat by Argentina left Morocco as Africa's sole quarter-finalist before this match.
Occurred 9 Jul 2026
Read story →
Argentina break 10-man Swiss side late
Argentina reached the quarter-final by beating Egypt 2-0, setting up this tie against Switzerland.
Occurred 11 Jul 2026
Read story →
Different Perspectives
Spain
Spain
Spain face France on Tuesday for the second semi-final place, the last unresolved tie in the bracket.
France
France
France already through to the other semi-final, await Tuesday's result against Spain to know who plays the England-Argentina winner in the final.
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland reached their first World Cup quarter-final since 1954 and led Argentina before Breel Embolo's second yellow card left them a man down for the last half-hour. They expect the run to raise expectations for the next cycle rather than close a chapter.
Norway
Norway
Norway leaned on Erling Haaland to reach a first modern-era quarter-final, and he nearly took them further before a disallowed goal and England's late double ended the run. Their tournament closes as the best World Cup performance in the country's history.
Argentina national team
Argentina national team
Argentina broke down a 10-man Switzerland late, extending Scaloni's run of reaching every semi-final he has managed since 2019. Messi will make his first World Cup appearance against England, a fixture Argentine coverage framed around that unbroken run rather than the personal narrative.
England
England
England needed a 93rd-minute Bellingham winner to see off Norway, the third straight knockout tie settled in its closing stages rather than controlled. They travel to Atlanta as favourites but with Declan Rice a fitness doubt and Jarell Quansah suspended.