Belgium avoided, Socceroos’ Round-of-32 World Cup opponent revealed after dramatic Group G finale

They had to wait 24 hours to find out, including a few late plot twists.

But Tony Popovic and the Socceroos now know they must defeat Egypt early next Saturday morning (Australian time) if they want to progress to the Round-of-16 in the FIFA World Cup for just the second time.

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After the final round of matches on Saturday afternoon, Egypt was confirmed as runner-up in Group G following a dramatic 1-1 draw against Iran that saw a late Iranian goal disallowed for offside.

Deep into the second halves of the final two Group G matches it seemed World No. 13 Belgium would indeed be the Socceroos’ next opponents as the Red Devils led a brave but outclassed New Zealand side 2-0 in Vancouver while Iran and Egypt sat locked at 1-1 in Seattle. 

However when Kevin De Bruyne struck a third goal from range in the 67th minute it meant Belgium had suddenly leap-frogged Egypt to the top of the Group G on goal difference.

But there was another twist, with a late goal to Kiwi striker Elijah Just in the 84th minute, and goal difference again tipped back in Egypt’s favour.

Yet incredibly veteran Belgium substitute Romelu Lukaku struck just a minute later with his first touch of the match to make the scoreline 4-1 and relegate the Egyptians back into second place, before another stoppage time goal made it 5-1 and ensured top spot in Group G.

When is the Socceroos’ Round-of-32 match?

The Socceroos will play their knockout match against Egypt at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Friday 3 July with kick off at 1 p.m. (local time). 

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Here’s how that time translates across Australia:

What are the Socceroos’ chances of beating Egypt?

First things first, anything can happen in knockout World Cup football — and often does. Reputations mean very little on the pitch, finding a way to win is all that matters.

Known affectionately by their fans as the Pharoahs, Egypt (26th) currently sits two spots higher than the Socceroos (28th) in the FIFA rankings and qualified for the Round-of-32 with draws against Belgium (1-1) and Iran (1-1), and a 3-1 win over New Zealand.

Coached by former player Hossam Hassan who is Egypt’s all-time top scorer with 69 goals from 177 international appearances, their undoubted stars are the recently-departed Liverpool icon Mo Salah and Omar Marmoush from fellow EPL giants Manchester City.

The two nations have only met twice before at senior men’s international level for one win apiece. The most recent match-up was back in 2010 when Egypt defeated Australia 3-0 in a friendly in Cairo.

Should Australia defeat Egypt they would then likely face Lionel Messi and reigning World Champions Argentina in the Round of 16 — the same team that eliminated Australia 2-1 at the same stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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Socceroos FIFA 2026 World Cup Schedule