Egypt booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stage for the first time in the nation's history after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Iran in Seattle, where a late VAR intervention proved decisive.

The match burst into life early, with both sides finding the net inside the opening 14 minutes. Iran looked the more likely winners during the closing stages and came agonisingly close to snatching all three points. First, the crossbar came to Egypt's rescue, keeping the scores level in dramatic fashion.

The biggest moment of the night arrived deep into stoppage time when Iran thought they had found the winning goal. Celebrations, however, were cut short after a VAR review ruled the strike out for offside. The technology detected that goalscorer Khalizadeh had strayed beyond the last defender by the narrowest of margins, with only part of his foot separating him from a potentially historic winner.

The 1-1 draw proved enough for Egypt to finish second in Group G, level on points with group winners Belgium, and secure a landmark place in the Round of 32.

For Iran, the disappointment was immense. A victory slipped away in the final moments, and their hopes of reaching the knockout stage now depend on results elsewhere in the FIFA World Cup 2026, leaving their fate out of their own hands.

World Cup 2026

Egypt - Iran 1:1 (1:1)
Goals: Saber, 5 (1:0); Rezaeian, 14 (1:1)

Egypt: Shobeir; Hany; Rabia; Abdelmonem (Ibrahim, 14); Fotouh; Hassan; Ashour (Marmoush, 46); Lasheen; Saber (Ateya, 46); Salah (Zizo, 57); Ziko (Abdelkarim, 76)
Substitution: Ibrahim (from 14); Ateya (from 46); Marmoush (from 46); Zizo (from 57); Abdelkarim (from 76)
Bench: El Shenawy M.; Soliman; Hafez; Alaa T.; Nabil Dunga; Hassan H.; Adel
Yellow Cards: Saber 20; Ibrahim 41; Lasheen 93

Iran: Beiranvand; Khalilzadeh; Mohammadi; Kanaani (Hardani, 46); Nemati; Rezaeian; Ghorbani; Ezatolahi; Mohebi (Jahanbakhsh, 91); Ghoddos (Moghanlou, 67); Taremi
Substitution: Hardani (from 46); Moghanlou (from 67); Jahanbakhsh (from 91)
Bench: Niazmand; Hosseini Hossein; Hajsafi; Cheshmi; Yousefi; Eiri; Torabi; Razzaghinia; Ghayedi; Alipour; Hosseinzadeh; Eckert
Yellow Cards: Kanaani 19; Nemati 43; Ezatolahi 80; Khalilzadeh 97