The knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup is in full swing, with Australia and Egypt set to face off on Friday (9:00 p.m.) at Dallas Stadium in Texas, vying for a spot in the tournament’s Round of 16.

Australia secured its place in the round of 32 as the second-place finisher in Group 4 with four points. The “Kangaroos” opened with a 2-0 victory over Turkey, followed by a 2-0 loss to co-hosts the United States, while a scoreless draw against Paraguay proved enough to secure their advancement.

Tony Popovich’s team has experience in World Cup knockout matches, having reached the round of 16 in both 2006 (eliminated by Italy) and in 2022 (eliminated by eventual champion Argentina).

Egypt, for its part, finished the group stage in second place in Group 7 with five points, missing out on first place to Belgium only on goal difference. The “Pharaohs” drew 1-1 with Belgium in their opener, defeated New Zealand 3-1, and wrapped up their group stage with another draw (1-1) against Iran.

Hossam Hassan’s team is having one of the best runs in its history in the tournament, as this is only their fourth appearance in the World Cup finals, and they are one step away from their first advancement to the Round of 16 since 1934. This year’s performance marks a significant improvement over 2018, when the team finished the tournament without earning any points.

The two national teams have faced each other only once before, in a friendly match in 2010, with Egypt winning 3-0. However, Friday’s match carries a completely different significance, as the prize is a spot in the World Cup Round of 16. The winner of this matchup will face the winner of the Argentina-Cape Verde match.

Possible starting lineups:

Australia (Popovic): Beach – Circati, Sutar, Herrington – Boss, O’Neill, Irvine, Behić – Volpato, Irankunda, Metcalf.

Egypt (Hassan): Sobeyr – Hani, Ibrahim, Rabia, Hafez – Ateya, Shamber – Zico, Salah, Ashour – Marmous.

*photo source: AP