Egypt and Australia are scheduled to face each other in the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup on Friday at Dallas Stadium. The match marks a significant milestone for both nations, as Egypt competes in its first-ever knockout stage appearance, while Australia attempts to secure its first knockout victory in tournament history.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. local time. The winner of this fixture will advance to the Round of 16, where they will face either Argentina or Cape Verde. For Australia, the game represents a chance to overcome past knockout defeats, including losses to Italy in 2006 and to eventual champion Argentina in 2022. Egypt, meanwhile, is playing in the knockout phase for the first time after decades of early exits.
Australia reached this stage by finishing second in Group D behind co-host United States. The team opened the group stage with a loss before securing a win and a draw to qualify. Coach Tony Popovic has organized the squad around defensive structure and rapid counterattacks, a strategy that maintained competitiveness but limited offensive output during the group rounds.
Egypt’s path to the knockout stage was undefeated. Under manager Hossam Hassan, the Pharaohs secured their first World Cup victory against New Zealand and added draws against Belgium and Iran to finish second in Group G. Five different Egyptian players scored during the group stage, indicating a distributed offensive attack.
The status of Egypt captain Mohamed Salah remains a central focus ahead of the match. Salah was substituted during the draw with Iran due to a hamstring injury. Coach Hassan stated that Salah requested the substitution himself. The team plans to conduct a fitness test before the match to determine his availability. If healthy, Salah is expected to play behind striker Omar Marmoush, with winger Trézéguet also in the attacking lineup.
