Egypt Beats New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver to Reach Round of 32 at 2026 FIFA World Cup

Egypt secured its first-ever World Cup victory in Vancouver on Sunday by defeating New Zealand 3-1 in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, moving the Pharaohs to the brink of the Round of 32.

The match at BC Place featured New Zealand taking the lead in Vancouver early in the first half before Egypt rallied after the break with three unanswered goals, including Mohamed Salah’s goal in the 67th minute.

Al Jazeera

Egypt’s left winger Mostafa Ziko tied the game with Egypt’s first goal in the 58th minute, and left winger Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim Hassan, known as Trezeguet, scored in the 82nd minute to cement the victory.

In the sold-out crowd of 52,497 at BC Place, fan Ahmed Khalil described the win as a “dream come true,” saying, “Nothing will beat this.”

Ahead of Egypt’s anticipated clash with New Zealand in the second round of the group stage, Egyptian fans in the streets of Vancouver chanted in support of Palestine just hours before kickoff.

In footage documented by Al Jazeera, hundreds of Egyptian fans chanted in unison, including the line: 'Left and right... we love you, Palestine,' while Palestinian flags and the keffiyeh were raised alongside Egyptian flags.

Al-Monitor

Al Jazeera also described fans around BC Place Stadium hosting the match, with supporters wearing national team jerseys and waving flags as they chanted 'We have returned victorious, Lord of the Worlds,' expressing hopes of a win that would keep the team’s journey going.

In the stadium build-up, thecanadianpressnews.ca reported that when Salah’s name was announced as being on the starting lineup about 20 minutes before kickoff, the stadium erupted, and a huge roar swept through BC Place as Salah put Egypt ahead 2-1 in the 67th minute.

Egypt’s Sunday win came as Tunisia and Turkey were knocked out after opening the competition with back-to-back defeats, leaving them unable to catch up to the third-place teams in their groups.

“VANCOUVER - Egypt secured its first-ever World Cup victory in Vancouver on Sunday, defeating New Zealand 3-1 in what fan Ahmed Khalil called a "dream come true”

thecanadianpressnews.ca

Tunisia’s campaign unraveled with a 5-1 loss to Sweden before a 4-0 defeat to Japan confirmed their elimination, while Turkey has not scored a point following a 2-0 loss to Australia and a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay.

The group stage concludes Saturday, and the Round of 32 begins Sunday and runs through July 3, with Morocco set to play its final group-stage match against Haiti on Wednesday.

Al-Monitor reported that Iran shares Group G with Egypt and has two points, while Qatar and Saudi Arabia each have one point and Algeria, Jordan and Iraq remain without a point, setting up Egypt’s next group-stage match against Iran on Friday.