Egypt vs Iran at World Cup 2026 – Salah, prediction, lineups, how to watch
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt and Mehdi Taremi’s Iran are both in the hunt for the FIFA World Cup knockouts in Group G. The 2026 World Cup
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt and Mehdi Taremi’s Iran are both in the hunt for the FIFA World Cup knockouts in Group G. The 2026 World Cup will have 13 different kickoff times. You can use the Al Jazeera Sport widget to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time. Who: Egypt vs Iran What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match Where: Seattle Stadium, Seattle When: Friday, 8pm local time (03:00 GMT on Saturday) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 23:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream. Mohamed Salah’s Egypt will look to confirm their spot in the World Cup knockouts for the first time in 92 years when the North African giants face Iran in a geopolitically charged fixture in Seattle on Friday night. Buoyed by their 3-1 win over New Zealand – Egypt’s first at a World Cup – the record seven-time African champions can reach the round of 32 should they beat Iran, while a draw may also be enough, depending on other results. Iran – who recorded back-to-back draws despite dealing with an unprecedented World Cup geopolitical situation whereby the tournament co-host, the United States, went to war against their nation, which later led to group match travel restrictions – are also well within reach of advancing to the knockouts for the first time. Al Jazeera tells you everything you need to know about Egypt vs Iran Salah, Egypt out to make history Despite their dominance on the continental level, Egypt have never quite stepped up at the world stage. But come Friday, things could change. The Pharaohs are on the brink of reaching the World Cup knockouts for the first time, 92 years on from their tournament debut in 1934. In the words of their beloved forward, Mohamed Salah, the qualification would be “the greatest achievement” in the Arab nation’s history.
For millions of Egyptians, the match with Iran offers more than one reason to rejoice, with Salah also closing in on a personal record. Nicknamed the “Egyptian King”, Salah is only one goal short of becoming Egypt’s joint top scorer, matching the tally of 69 by Hossam Hassan. Interestingly, former striker Hassan, who played for Egypt between 1985 and 2006, is now the head coach of the World Cup team. “We do not put everything on one star or two stars and just bet that they will bring it for us,” Hassan said, trying to ease the pressure on his 34-year-old forward. Furthermore, he added that Salah’s central position has given him more freedom, with the e Liverpool player netting one goal and two assists so far. “I think it’s a new version of Mo Salah at the moment. He plays in a new position – he plays very freely in a very creative way,” the coach explained. Iran wants to make nation proud Throughout World Cup 2026, Iran has grappled with severe travel restrictions imposed by their tournament matchday host, the United States, who alongside Israel, launched a war on the Middle East nation on February 28. The restrictions have affected the player’s match preparations as well as post-match rest and recovery, according to the team. For their opening two games against New Zealand and Belgium, Iran were allowed to travel to their playing venues in the US only within 24 hours of their fixtures and had to return to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, directly after each match. US authorities have eased travel restrictions ahead of the match against Egypt, though Iran’s football federation said on Wednesday that officials had “caused problems” when the side travelled from their Mexican base for Friday’s contest. Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei told reporters on Thursday that the restrictions had “physically affected us” in previous games, but that Iran are now “fitter and also we are in a better position”.
The BriefWire