Egypt coach, players say World Cup defeat by Argentina was unfair, they were 'cheated'

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been a huge success, both on and off the pitch. Visiting fans enjoyed the experience of coming to the United States and enjoyed the country's hospitality. Destinations across the country are highly recommended for exceptional amenities and outstanding weather.

But even the most successful tournament is not without controversy. The biggest one, in the first few rounds, was Folarin Balogun's red card. The card shown to Balogun in the US Men's National Team's game against Bosnia and Herzegovina was given based on a misuse of the VAR rules. FIFA subsequently overturned his one-match suspension, allowing him to play against Belgium in the round of 16.

European fans, commentators, and their football association, won. But they also pale in comparison to the accusations thrown by the players and coaches of the Egyptian team after their 3-2 defeat by Argentina and Lionel Messi on Tuesday afternoon.

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The coach of Egypt, Hossam Hassan, spoke to the media after the game, he did not hold back in his criticism of the manager.

“We have never seen respect or fair play,” said Hassan. “A penalty was awarded, then the second one [incident] that should have been checked to see if there was a penalty and it wasn't even checked by VAR. The second goal was amazing, for whatever reason, it was disallowed.”

“I want to put it in nice words and say, 'Hay luck' but we were treated unfairly, it was unfair,” he continued.

Egypt were leading 1-0, and looked to be leading 2-0, only to have a second goal disallowed after a VAR review ruled a foul had occurred 20 seconds earlier at the other end of the pitch. Egypt scored again, but the 2-0 result could have been 3-0, prompting a stunning comeback for Argentina. Then there were a few more questionable calls, including a potential penalty after roughing up star player Mohamed Salah.

“We looked better than the reigning champions – better in everything – but the result was influenced by internal things on the pitch and external things,” Hassan told reporters. “Maybe they wanted to keep the world champion in this tournament. Maybe they wanted Messi to continue running.

“In football, sometimes there are external factors that go beyond technology. The world champion has received support at all levels.”

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“It seems that there is pressure on the Argentinian side with the referee who brought this result,” he added. “Life is unfair. The world is unfair. That's right, but why is there no fairness in sports? I'm not satisfied with this result and the way things happened in this game.”

Hossam Hassan, manager and head coach of Egypt, during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt at Atlanta Stadium on July 7, 2026. (Catherine Ivill – AMA / Getty Images)

Striker Mostafa Ziko also says the same, saying that his Egyptian team was made difficult by the referee.

“We did it the hard way [the referee] today, and everyone saw that. I will not talk about something like this. We were winning 2-0. After the 2-0 result, everything went against us and worked against us. I don't even know why the second goal was disallowed, I don't see the reason for that. But we must look for a solution so that the second goal does not go in. He wanted to refuse the third one, but thank God, God did not give him success.”

“It was a bad game,” said Ziko. “It wasn't our fault. That referee… it seems like the game was rigged. We were winning 2-0, and he kept coming to us. Congratulations to Argentina on another World Cup, it seems.”

It is almost certain that FIFA is happy that Messi and Argentina advanced to the quarterfinals. Messi is arguably the biggest star on the international stage, and excitement and fans will be high as long as he and his team are in the competition. But that doesn't mean the game is “fixed.” The VAR review of disallowing Egypt's second goal proved unfair, although the other disputed calls were the kind of borderline decisions that could have gone either way.

Lionel Messi (10) of Argentina celebrates scoring his second goal during the World Cup Round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo)

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The most important change that none of the Egyptian players or their coach wants to admit, is that if they wanted to win, they wouldn't have conceded three goals in 25 minutes.