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The race for the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals continues on Tuesday with two final last-16 matches, highlighted by a blockbuster showdown between Argentina captain Lionel Messi and Egypt star Mohamed Salah in Atlanta.
The winner will secure a place in the quarterfinals, while the losing side will bow out of the tournament.
The knockout stage has already delivered several dramatic contests. France, inspired by Kylian Mbappé, booked a place in the last eight, while Erling Haaland’s Norway advanced with another impressive display. England edged Mexico 3-2 to reach the quarterfinals, whereas Portugal exited after a 1-0 defeat to Spain in what was Cristiano Ronaldo’s final FIFA World Cup appearance.
Argentina head into Tuesday’s clash with confidence, led by the evergreen Messi, who continues to shine at the age of 39. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored seven goals in four matches, drawing level with Mbappé and Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.
Messi has also extended his remarkable record by scoring in eight consecutive World Cup matches dating back to Argentina’s triumphant 2022 campaign, taking his overall World Cup tally to 20 goals.
Egypt, meanwhile, will once again look to Mohamed Salah for inspiration. The Liverpool forward has scored three goals at the tournament and is just one goal short of equalling the Egyptian national team’s all-time international scoring record held by current head coach Hossam Hassan.
Salah has already guided the Pharaohs to two historic milestones, helping them register their first-ever World Cup group-stage victory before leading them to a maiden knockout-stage win with a penalty shootout triumph over Australia.
Adding further intrigue to the contest, neither Messi nor Salah has confirmed whether they will continue their international careers after the World Cup, making the encounter potentially one of the defining matches of their illustrious careers.
In Tuesday’s other round-of-16 fixture, Switzerland will take on Colombia in Vancouver. Colombia will become the only team to have played matches in all three host nations—the United States, Canada and Mexico—during this expanded World Cup.
Colombia reached the knockout stage after defeating Uzbekistan, Congo and Ghana, while Switzerland advanced by beating Algeria 2-0 to register its first World Cup knockout victory since 1938.
The Swiss, however, face injury concerns, with Johan Manzambi, Ruben Vargas and Djibril Sow all doubtful after cutting short Monday’s training session.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni cautioned against underestimating Egypt, saying the tournament has already shown that no team can be taken lightly.
“This World Cup has shown there are no clear favourites,” Scaloni said, recalling Argentina’s hard-fought extra-time victory over Cape Verde in the previous round.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan also expressed confidence, insisting his side is capable of producing another upset against the defending champions.
The winner of the Argentina-Egypt clash will face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Kansas City.
France, Belgium, Spain, Norway and England have already secured their places in the last eight.
Round of 16 schedule (Bangladesh time):
Tuesday, July 7
Argentina vs Egypt — 10:00pm (Atlanta)
Wednesday, July 8
Switzerland vs Colombia — 2:00am (Vancouver)
Quarterfinals schedule
Friday, July 10
Morocco vs France — 2:00am (Foxborough)
Saturday, July 11
Spain vs Belgium — 1:00am (Inglewood)
Sunday, July 12
Norway vs England — 3:00am (Miami Gardens)
Argentina/Egypt vs Switzerland/Colombia — 7:00am (Kansas City)
