How Much Money Egypt Will Earn After World Cup 2026 Painful Defeat to Argentina
- Argentina completed an epic comeback to eliminate Egypt from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 7
- Egypt led 2-0 deep into the second half before Romero, Messi, and Fernandez scored to send Argentina through
- Despite the heartbreaking exit, Egypt will collect a huge amount of prize money from FIFA
Egypt's 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign came to a heartbreaking end on Tuesday, July 7, after Argentina fought back from two goals down to claim a dramatic 3-2 victory in their Round of 16 clash at Atlanta Stadium.
The seven-time African champions looked set to pull off one of the tournament's biggest upsets, but Lionel Scaloni's side staged an epic comeback to grab victory.
Source: Getty Images
Argentina's comeback win ends Egypt's World Cup run
Yasser Ibrahim gave Egypt the lead with a first-half header, while goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir produced a string of outstanding saves, including a penalty stop to deny Lionel Messi.
Watch Messi's penalty miss vs Egypt, as shared on X:
The Pharaohs doubled their advantage through Mostafa Ziko, who finished off a swift counter-attack involving Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan.
But the defending champions mounted a remarkable comeback. Cristian Romero pulled one back before Messi smashed home the equaliser to bring Argentina level.
Enzo Fernández completed the turnaround, albeit controversially, sending the holders into the quarter-finals and ending Egypt's memorable World Cup run.
Watch Fernández's match-winning goal for Argentina, as shared on X:
Egypt's journey had already captured global attention, especially after arriving at the tournament without a World Cup victory in their previous three appearances.
According to Al Jazeera, the Pharaohs advanced from the group stage with a draw against Belgium, a win over New Zealand and another draw with Iran before edging Australia on penalties in the Round of 32.
Source: Getty Images
How much will Egypt receive after R16 exit?
Despite their painful exit in the knockout stage, Egypt will leave the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a substantial financial reward.
FIFA's approved prize-money structure awards USD 15 million to teams that reach the Round of 16.
In addition, every participating association received USD 2.5 million for tournament preparations and USD 10 million upon qualification.
That meant each nation was guaranteed at least USD 12.5 million simply for taking part in the competition.
Combined with the Round of 16 payout, Egypt's total earnings from the 2026 World Cup amount to USD 27.5 million.
Egypt coach accuses FIFA after World Cup exit
Hossam Hassan, the head coach of Egypt, launched a blistering attack on FIFA after his side's dramatic defeat to Argentina.
Speaking after the match, the 59-year-old accused world football's governing body of favouring the defending champions.
"I will say what's on my mind regardless of the consequences because I don't care," Hassan said.
"This was clearly a rigged match and the whole world saw it."
The Egypt coach also questioned FIFA's tournament integrity, adding:
"If they want Argentina to win so badly, why call everyone to come and participate?"
Egypt-Argentina referee accused of bias
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that several fans raised concerns over the officiating following Egypt’s defeat to Argentina.
Many supporters felt a crucial refereeing decision played a major role in determining the outcome of the match.
Source: YEN.com.gh
