From joy to despair: Egypt fans shocked by loss to Argentina

A small coffee house in Cairo turned into a tiny stadium on Tuesday.

Several hundred people, mostly men and boys as young as 7, gathered around wall-mounted screens ahead of the kickoff whistle.

The scene played out across the soccer-mad nation as Egypt faced the defending World Cup champions in the round-of-16 fixture in Atlanta, United States.

It was a historic day for millions of Egyptians even after their national team’s adventure reached its end with Tuesday’s 2-3 loss to Argentina.

With their own star Mohamed Salah, Egypt advanced to the second knockout round after winning its debut in the elimination rounds of the World Cup by beating Australia 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in the round of 32 on Friday.

The Pharaohs advanced to the knockout stages – their first ever – after securing the second place in the Group G, behind Belgium.

Preparations for the game started well ahead of the kickoff at 7 p.m. local time.

In squares and main thoroughfares, vendors were seen selling Egyptian flags, whistles and fan paraphernalia in preparation for the game.

Throughout the day, Egyptian flags were seen fluttering over vehicles and balconies, with conversations in public spaces, like coffee houses and markets, centering for days around the national team’s performance and its anticipated game against Argentina.

“Overall, the performance was excellent,” said Hassan Shehata, taking his seat in a packed coffee house in Cairo ahead of Tuesday’s game. “We’re developing. We play and compete.”

It’s Egypt’s fourth World Cup during which the most populous Arab country with seven Africa Cup of Nations trophies proved hard to beat.

The 2026 finals saw Egypt’s best ever performance. The Pharaohs broke their curse of never having won a World Cup game with their 3-1 victory over New Zealand in Vancouver. This victory sent them to their first ever knockout round in the tournament