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World Cup 2026: Australia exits on penalties to Egypt; Germany, France and Netherlands advance on July 3

Australia drew 1-1 with Egypt in 90 minutes before losing 4-2 on penalties, becoming the co-host nation's first elimination; Germany, France, and the Netherlands also completed their R32 on July 3

Sports· active How Life Changes·Whose Money ·9 takes · ·rbtfl upd Jul 9, 2026
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developments

  1. Sunday July 5 Round of 16 schedule: Brazil vs Norway at MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) at 8 p.m. ET (midnight UTC July 6), and Mexico vs England at Estadio Azteca (Mexico City) at 6 p.m. local time (midnight UTC July 6). Brazil, the tournament favourite, face Norway and striker Erling Haaland. Mexico, unbeaten in four group stage matches without conceding, host England at the Azteca in the first World Cup knockout clash between the two nations since 2002. The quarter-finals begin July 7. ↗

  2. Morocco beat Canada 3-0 in Houston to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the second consecutive tournament. Azzedine Ounahi scored twice in the second half and Soufiane Rahimi added a third in stoppage time, assisted by Brahim Diaz. Morocco become the first African nation to reach back-to-back World Cup quarter-finals. Canada, co-hosting the tournament, are eliminated without scoring in the knockout round. In the other July 4 Round of 16 match, France beat Paraguay 1-0 in Philadelphia: Kylian Mbappe converted a 70th-minute penalty after VAR awarded the spot-kick for a foul on substitute Desire Doue, taking Mbappe's World Cup goal tally to 19. France face Morocco in the quarter-finals on July 9. ↗

  3. The Round of 16 opens July 4 with two matches: Canada vs Morocco at NRG Stadium Houston (noon ET, 17:00 UTC), and France vs Paraguay at Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia (5pm ET, 21:00 UTC). Morocco qualified by defeating the Netherlands in the Round of 32; Canada advances in the first Round of 16 appearance in their history. The round of 32 concluded entirely with July 4 as the final day; the remaining last-16 ties run July 5-6, with the quarter-finals on July 7-8. ↗

The split

The same story, as told by newsrooms in different countries. Their words, attributed and linked.

United States

Yahoo Sports

“Australia drew 1-1 with Egypt after 90 minutes before losing 4-2 on penalties. The Socceroos' tournament is over.”

US sports mainstreamread the original ↗

Australia

SBS News

“Australia exits World Cup 2026 on penalties, eliminated as co-host in the round of 32; Egypt advances for the first time since 1934.”

Australian public broadcaster, live-blog of the penalty shootout exitread the original ↗

Egypt

Al-Ahram (Egypt)

“مصر تتأهل إلى دور الـ16 لأول مرة منذ 1934 بعد الفوز على أستراليا بركلات الترجيح 4-2.”

Egyptian national prideread the original ↗

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Summary

Australia was eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 3 after drawing 1-1 with Egypt at full time and losing 4-2 on penalties, becoming the first co-host team to exit the tournament. Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shennawy saved two Australian spot kicks, sending Egypt to the round of 16 for the first time since 1934. Also advancing on July 3: Germany (beat Colombia 2-0), France (beat Senegal 1-0, Kylian Mbappe goal), and the Netherlands (beat Saudi Arabia 3-1). The round of 32 wraps on July 5; round of 16 begins July 7.

The split

Australian media focused on the tactical question of whether head coach Tony Popovic's defensive approach, which delivered the draw but could not produce a winner, was the right call for a co-host with home support. Egyptian media celebrated a historic qualification, with El Shennawy's penalty saves treated as a national moment. Saudi Arabian outlets covered the Netherlands loss in the context of the kingdom's ongoing 2034 World Cup hosting preparations and a broader question of whether Saudi football development is delivering on investment. In France, Mbappe's goal settled a simmering debate about his fitness following a late-season knee injury.

By the numbers

  • 1-1, Australia vs Egypt after 90 minutes
  • 4-2, Egypt's penalty shootout victory
  • 2, Australian penalties saved by El Shennawy
  • 1934, last time Egypt reached the World Cup round of 16
  • July 7, start of the round of 16

Why it matters

A co-host nation's early exit is commercially awkward for a tournament that sold its co-host status partly on domestic fanbase appetite. Australia's tournament organisers had built hospitality and broadcast infrastructure around a deep run; the quarter-final match at Sydney's Stadium Australia is now a neutral fixture. Egypt's advance is significant for African football, which sent six teams to the round of 32 and now has two (Egypt, Morocco) in the round of 16.

What to watch

  • Egypt vs Morocco in the round of 16, a potential all-Africa tie
  • Australia's political and commercial post-mortem on its tournament co-hosting investment
  • Whether Germany or France meets the United States in the quarter-finals
  • Saudi Arabia's 2034 hosting bid committee response to an early exit for its national team

The briefing, by email