World Cup 2026: Egypt hold Iran to reach knockout stage unbeaten

Egypt confirmed qualification to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after drawing with Iran in their final Group G encounter on Saturday morning, finishing the group phase unbeaten.

The Pharaohs entered the match already knowing qualification was within reach regardless of the result, while Iran needed victory to guarantee a place in the Round of 32. In the end, a missed penalty and a dramatic late VAR decision proved costly for the Asian side.

Egypt Strike Early

Egypt made the perfect start to the match and broke the deadlock after just five minutes.

Mahmoud Saber reacted quickest to a rebound inside the penalty area and drilled his effort into the bottom left corner to hand the Pharaohs an early advantage.

The goal lifted Egypt’s confidence as Iran struggled to recover from the fast opening spell.

Shobeir Denies Taremi From the Spot

Iran were handed a huge opportunity to equalise in the 10th minute when Mohamed Abdelmonem committed a foul inside the box and the referee pointed to the penalty spot.

Mehdi Taremi stepped forward to take the penalty, but goalkeeper Oufa Shobeir produced a brilliant save after reading the direction perfectly to keep Egypt in front.

The save proved to be one of the defining moments of the contest.

Iran Respond Through Rezaeian

Despite the missed penalty, Iran continued pushing forward and eventually found the equaliser four minutes later.

Ramin Rezaeian squeezed an effort home from an extremely tight angle after finding space inside the area, bringing Iran back into the match at 1-1.

The goal reignited Iran’s hopes as the team searched desperately for the victory needed to secure qualification.

Late VAR Drama Crushes Iran

The most dramatic moment of the game arrived deep into stoppage time when Shoja Khalilzadeh appeared to have scored a dramatic late winner for Iran after tapping in from close range following a rebound.

Iran’s celebrations, however, were short lived as the referee paused the match for a VAR review to check for a possible offside in the buildup.

After several tense moments, the goal was ruled out for offside, leaving the Iranian players furious and crushing their hopes of securing all three points.

Egypt Progress Unbeaten

The draw ensured Egypt finished second in Group G with five points, level with Belgium, who claimed top spot on goal difference.

Iran ended the group stage with three points and must now wait for the remaining results later on Saturday to determine whether they can still progress as one of the tournament’s best third placed teams.