Argentina produced one of the biggest comebacks of the FIFA World Cup 2026, overturning a 2-0 deficit to beat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16. However, the result has been overshadowed by fierce debate over two crucial refereeing decisions that left the Egyptian camp alleging inconsistency in the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

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Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan criticised the officiating after the match, arguing that key decisions consistently favoured Argentina during the contest.

Disallowed goal leaves Egypt furious

The first controversial incident came when Egypt were leading 1-0.

Midfielder Mostafa Ziko appeared to double Egypt’s lead after finishing off a swift counterattack. However, French referee Francois Letexier overturned the goal after a video assistant referee (VAR) review.

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The review concluded that there had been a foul committed by Egyptian midfielder Marwan Attia on Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez.

This move immediately polarized people’s opinions.

Detractors believed that there was a foul made about 10 seconds prior to the goal and was done far away from Egypt’s half, making it irrelevant enough not to disqualify the goal.

While it is true that Ziko scored another goal to make the scoreline 2-0, the earlier 2-0 lead may well have affected the whole game’s course.

Penalty appeals on Salah ignored

The second major flashpoint came late in the game as Egypt searched for an equaliser.

Egypt appealed twice for a penalty after Mohamed Salah went down inside Argentina’s penalty area following what appeared to be a shirt pull and subsequent contact from Julian Alvarez.

Referee Letexier waved play on, and VAR chose not to intervene.

The decision sparked strong protests from the Egyptian bench, with Hossam Hassan questioning why VAR reviewed a challenge that occurred far earlier in Egypt’s disallowed goal but did not examine what many considered a more direct incident inside Argentina’s penalty area.

Soon after, Enzo Fernandez scored Argentina’s winner in stoppage time to complete a remarkable comeback.

Debate over consistency

Beyond the two headline incidents, Egypt also questioned several refereeing decisions involving fouls and yellow-card offences that they felt favoured Argentina.

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While FIFA has not commented on the individual decisions, the match has reignited debate over the consistency of VAR intervention and the interpretation of review protocols during major international tournaments.

The controversy has quickly become one of the biggest talking points of the FIFA World Cup knockout stage, with fans and former players divided over whether the officials applied VAR consistently throughout the contest.

FAQs

Why is the Egypt vs Argentina match controversial?

The controversy centres on two key VAR decisions—a disallowed Egypt goal in the first half and the refusal to award Egypt a late penalty after Mohamed Salah’s appeal.

Did FIFA comment on the VAR decisions?

As of now, FIFA has not issued an official explanation regarding the two controversial incidents from the Egypt vs Argentina Round of 16 match.