liveUpdated 24s agoFollow live as Australia and Egypt do battle in Arlington to reach the last 16.The Athletic Live TeamJuly 3, 2026 at 12:31 PM EDTEgypt fans ahead of today’s game with Australia. GettyAustralia vs Egypt — LatestToday’s first World Cup match sees Australia face Egypt in Arlington, with a spot in the last 16 on the line.The second-place finishers in Groups D and G respectively are facing off in North Texas. Egypt finally picked up their first win at a World Cup to reach the knockout stage for the first time, and they remain unbeaten at this tournament.The winner will face either defending champions Argentina or debutants Cape Verde, who play later today.Kick-off: 2pm ET, 11am PTWatch: Fox, Fubo (try for free) ReutersGood vibes in here so far. Egypt fans are currently singing and dancing in the lower concourse. I also see a few cowboy hats. Both fan bases have been enjoying their time in the Metroplex – a group of Australia fans even caught a foul ball at the Texas Rangers game last night. Bare-handed, no less! ReutersBoth teams are currently making their way to the dressing rooms at AT&T Stadium. Here’s Egypt and Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush upon his arrival at the ground. Team news expected momentarilyGood morning from Dallas, where the Egypt players have just arrived at the stadium. Mohamed Salah was looked very relaxed. The big question, of course, is whether he's fit to start. Salah has been struggling with a hamstring injury and the Egypt coach, Hossam Hassan, said yesterday that he wouldn't take any risks unless he's 100 percent sure the 34-year-old is fit. Team news to follow shortly.Popovic’s Socceroos: solid, stubborn and still searching Getty ImagesAustralia arrive well-drilled, physically robust, hard to break down and reliant on the excellent Jordan Bos down the left. But the concerns are familiar. Tony Popovic’s side have only a young striker leading the line in Norwich City’s Mohamed Toure, who has found chances hard to take during this tournament. Their set-piece delivery has been wretched despite the aerial presence of Harry Souttar. Goals have been hard to come by. But what they do have is organisation, a clean defensive spine with young talent in Alessandro Circati and teenager Lucas Herrington, and the kind of streetwise resilience that makes them a horrible night out for a team missing its talisman. For a nation chasing a first knockout victory, a wounded Egypt may feel like the moment to seize.Containment versus counter — who blinks first Getty ImagesThis has the makings of a tight, cagey affair between two pragmatic, well-organised sides. Egypt will look to control through midfield and spring Mohamed Salah — fitness permitting — and the runners around him in transition.Australia will sit in their compact block, stay disciplined and trust their physicality and set pieces to manufacture the goal their open play rarely provides. The danger for the Socceroos is obvious — give Salah a yard and he’ll punish you — but Egypt have their own worry in an Australian side happy to make it a war of attrition and pounce on the dead ball. Expect low-scoring, expect nervy, and expect the first goal to feel enormous. In other words, don’t rule out penalties.Australia’s road to the knockout stage Getty ImagesAustralia have not scored since their opening match of the tournament, but the Socceroos had enough in hand to advance out of Group D.In one of the World Cup’s first upsets, Australia beat Turkey 2-0 thanks to goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe. Australia were second best in the first half against the United States and that cost them a 2-0 defeat there, meaning a goalless draw with Paraguay was enough to finish second in the group and book their ticket to the knockout stage.Egypt’s road to the knockout stage Getty ImagesA surprise 1-1 draw with Belgium jumpstarted Egypt’s contention hopes in their first match, and Egypt have capitalised on the opportunity.Egypt followed up on the draw with a 3-1 victory over New Zealand, erasing a 1-0 half-time deficit with three goals in 24 minutes. It was the first time Egypt had tasted victory at a World Cup.The final match of the group stage schedule was quite the contest. Iran appeared to have won the game in the 93rd minute, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside — leaving the match to finish 1-1 and Iran ultimately exit the tournament.A shot at history for both Getty ImagesTwo sides who have never met at a World Cup, each chasing something they’ve never had. Australia squeezed through as Group D runners-up behind the USA, and now hunt a first knockout win in their history having fallen at this stage to eventual champions Italy in 2006 and Argentina in 2022. Egypt are in even more uncharted territory: second in a chaotic Group G, they’ve reached the knockouts for the first time, at their fourth World Cup. The carrot for the winner is a round-of-16 tie that could pit them against Argentina. The other side heads home.Find the perfect pod for you Looking for a show to scratch your World Cup itch? We’ve got you covered.The Totally Football Show after every game day from L.A.The Athletic FC Podcast with Emma Paton and Adam Leventhal on the day’s biggest stories.Tifo’s live four-hour watchalongs.Watch or listen wherever you get your podcasts.Get involved in the chat! Getty ImagesWe’re here to give you all the insights, context and analysis you could ever wish for from every World Cup match — and we want you to share your thoughts too.Which player is your pick to break through in the knockout stage? Have you got an issue with a team you think is horribly overrated? And who is going to shine in Arlington today?It’s super easy to share your views. You can head to the discussion tab at the top of this feed or you can send us an email — the address is: live@theathletic.comWe can’t wait to hear what you’ve got for us all.Sign up to our World Cup Briefing Want an update of everything going on at the 2026 World Cup dropped into your boxing every morning?Sign up here to The Athletic’s World Cup Briefing so that you don’t miss a thing.Subscribe to The Athletic There is no better time to be a subscriber to The Athletic for all the sporting insight, analysis and live coverage you need during the World Cup and beyond.As well as the ongoing tournament in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, you can get your soccer fix with us for the rest of the year with our Champions League and Premier League coverage, plus Europe’s top leagues.Meanwhile, the Formula 1 season is in full swing and we have golf, tennis and more on the cards.Subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here.How to watch today’s match? Getty ImagesIn the United States, the match will be broadcast on Fox and Telemundo. BBC One will broadcast the match in the UK.You can also stream the contest on Fubo (try for free).What time is today’s match? Getty Images Today’s match is set to kick off at 1pm CT, which is local time in Arlington. That is 2pm ET, 11am PT and 7pm BST in the UK.Welcome to our live coverage of Australia vs Egypt! Getty ImagesWelcome to our coverage of today’s first match — a round of 32 clash between second-place finishers Australia and Egypt!Egypt and Mohamed Salah have arrived to the knockout stage for the first time and will look to keep their landmark run alive with a victory today. On the other side, Australia have been a hard nut to crack at this World Cup and reaching the last 16 here would equal their previous best in 2006 and 2022.We will have comprehensive updates and insights from our writers and experts, so be sure to follow along through all of today’s action.