Italy was out. Colombia matched on.
And now, on the same day, it was Egypt and Chile's turn to tussle and fight for the Round of 16 spot that was at stake on the night.
[FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32]
[Match 15: Egypt vs Chile]
[Venue: NRG Stadium, Houston, USA]
[Date: July 6th, 2026]
[Kick-off: 21:00 local time]
[Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)]
It was a clash of Africa vs South America.
The fans dubbed it the Pharaohs vs the Red Tide, an Underdog Epic.
Both nations weren't supposed to make it this far.
Both Egypt and Chile had fought tooth and nail as third-placed teams in their respective groups. Now, only one of them would walk away with a historic quarterfinal ticket.
This match was a slow burn; but when the fire came, it was blistering.
Egypt started in a 4-3-3 with Mohamed El Shenawy in goal, while ahead of him stood the defensive quadruple of Hegazi, Abdelmonem, Gaber, and Mohamed Hamdy.
