World Cup 2026: Mostafa Ziko denounces “unjust” officiating after Egypt’s elimination

The Egyptian forward Mostafa Ziko did not hide his anger after the Pharaohs’ elimination against Argentina (3-2) on Tuesday, in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. At the end of the match, he harshly criticized the refereeing by François Letexier, implying that the tournament favored the Albiceleste.

In front of the media, Ziko denounced several refereeing decisions that he deemed unfavorable to his team, believing that Egypt had been wronged in crucial moments of the match. “ Congratulations to Argentina for the World Cup. The tournament was rigged, they didn’t need anything else. The referee was unfair, unfair, unfair, unfair ,” he stated, according to The Touchline.

The match was indeed marked by several controversial situations. In the 58th minute, a goal scored by Mostafa Ziko was disallowed after a video assistant review, due to a foul committed on Lisandro Martínez at the start of the play. The Egyptian players also disputed the validity of Argentina’s third goal, scored by Enzo Fernández in stoppage time (90+2), claiming that two fouls should have been called in favor of the Pharaohs before the decisive play.

After reviewing the footage, the VAR and the central referee confirmed their decisions, validating the goal for Argentina and maintaining the disallowance of the Egyptian goal. The match had actually started ideally for Hossam Hassan’s men. Yasser Ibrahim scored with a header as early as the 15th minute, before Lionel Messi missed a penalty six minutes later.

Egypt then doubled their lead thanks to Mostafa Ziko, perfectly assisted by Mohamed Salah. However, trailing 2-0, Argentina managed to turn the game around at the end. Cristian Romero reduced the deficit in the 79th minute, before Messi equalized four minutes later. Enzo Fernández ultimately secured qualification for the Albiceleste with a winning header in stoppage time. With this spectacular turnaround, Argentina continues its title defense and secures its ticket to the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, while Egypt exits the competition with a deep sense of injustice.