Argentina vs. Egypt: Head-to-head record and past meetings

Aiming to succeed where Cape Verde just fell short, Egypt take on World Cup holders Argentina in Tuesday's last-16 battle at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The African nation revelled in a first-ever World Cup knockout win in the last 32, beating Australia 5-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes.

Meanwhile, Argentina also needed two hours to eliminate spirited tournament debutants Cape Verde, who fell to a gut-wrenching 3-2 defeat to Lionel Messi and co.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.

Argentina vs. Egypt: Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 1

Argentina wins: 1

Draws: 0

Egypt wins: 0

Argentina and Egypt's World Cup 2026 last-16 clash will mark just the second-ever meeting between the Albiceleste and the Pharaohs in senior men's football.

The two nations' only previous contest came back in March 2008, when an Argentina team led by Alfio Basile travelled to the Cairo International Stadium for a friendly match with Hassan Shehata's Egypt side.

The disparity in the world rankings - 29 places between top-ranked Argentina and Egypt in 30th - was reflected in the scoreline, as the South American giants prevailed 2-0 in front of 45,000 supporters.

The Pharaohs made it to half time without conceding, but future Manchester City star Sergio Aguero broke the deadlock with an arrowed finish into the roof of the net in the 65th minute.

After Aguero scored his second senior international goal, defender Nicolas Burdisso made sure of the win in the 80th minute, heading home from a Maxi Rodriguez free kick for his first Argentina goal.

Burdisso would only score twice in 49 games for Argentina, and both goals came back-to-back, as he then found the net against Mexico three months later.

Lionel Messi was not involved in that friendly due to a muscular injury, but the Argentina squad still boasted a plethora of other stars such as Javier Zanetti, Javier Mascherano and Pablo Zabaleta.

Meanwhile, Ahmed El Mohamady - remembered for his time in England with Sunderland, Hull City and Aston Villa - was a second-half substitute for Egypt.