MATCH PREVIEW: Messi and De Paul's Argentina Takes On Egypt in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™

Inter Miami CF captain Leo Messi and midfielder Rodrigo De Paul continue their FIFA World Cup 2026™ campaigns with Argentina, with La Albiceleste set to face Egypt in the Round of 16 on Tuesday, July 7. Kick off at Atlanta Stadium is set for 12 p.m. ET.Â

Where to Watch

Fans can watch the action live in English on FOX, and in Spanish on Telemundo, Peacock.

Recapping Round of 32 Action

La Albiceleste secured a Round of 16 berth with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Cape Verde in extra time in the Round of 32.

Messi opened the scoring in regulation, before teammate Lisandro Martínez and an own goal sealed the victory for the defending champions in extra time. With his goal, Messi reached 20 total World Cup goals to extend his lead as the top scorer in the history of the competition, and seven this edition as he currently shares the lead as the top scorer. Additionally, he became the first player in history to score in eight consecutive FIFA World Cup games.Â

Notably, the win also saw Messi reach 30 appearances to become the only player in FIFA World Cup history to achieve the feat.Â

Prior to the win in the Round of 32, Argentina posted a perfect record in Group J, opening with a 3-0 win over Algeria, followed by defeating Austria 2-0 and Jordan 3-1.

Egypt, meanwhile, earned a spot in the Round of 16 stage with a 4-2 victory over Australia in penalties after playing out a 1-1 draw in regulation. Prior to the Round of 16, the African nation finished second in Group G with five points and undefeated record of a win and two draws.Â

The Round of 16 meeting presents the third matchup in their history. Argentina secured victory on both previous encounters, winning 2-0 in a friendy in 2008 and 6-0 in the 1928 Olympics.Â

Messi and De Paul with Argentina

In his historic international career, Messi has guided Argentina to the 2021 and 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América titles and 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions crown, and further cemented his legacy by leading his country to a historic FIFA World Cup title in 2022.

Messi also notably holds the records for most caps (203) and most goals (124) for Argentina, while also holding the international record for most World Cup match appearances (30) and being the only player to score in the World Cup group stage, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final.

De Paul, meanwhile, is featuring in a World Cup for a second time after his key role en route to lifting the cup in 2022. El Motorcito was also one of the main figures alongside Messi in La Albiceleste's 2021 and 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América and 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions conquests. In all, the versatile midfielder has earned 90 caps, scoring two times, in his fruitful international career for Argentina.

Mauricio Venegas