liveUpdated 1m agoFollow live as Lionel Messi’s defending champions face Mo Salah’s history-makers, with a last-eight berth on the line. The Athletic Live TeamJuly 7, 2026 at 4:15 AM EDTLionel Messi will hope for a smoother night than Argentina’s scare at the hands of Cape Verde. Getty ImagesArgentina vs Egypt — LatestArgentina face Egypt in the penultimate last-16 tie of the World Cup in Atlanta, with the quarter-finals just around the corner.Can Lionel Messi continue his astonishing World Cup adventure at the age of 39?Or will another major star five years his junior, Mohamed Salah, lead Egypt into the last eight?Stick with to find out.Kick-off: Midday ETTV: Fox (US)Join in the conversation or email us at live@theathletic.comOur venue today: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Getty ImagesOpened in 2017, Mercedes-Benz Stadium has a capacity of over 70,000 and is home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United. Our team of writers at The Athletic ranked each stadium out of 10 for five categories, including matchday experience, match atmosphere, transport and location, aesthetics, and suitability for soccer/football. You can click here to see what Felipe Cardenas thinks and where he placed it in the rankings, and also read the full stadium guide for Atlanta.The venue is officially known as Atlanta Stadium for the duration of this tournament due to FIFA protocols.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 the US, you can get your soccer fix with us for the rest of the year with our Champions League and Premier League coverage, as well as Europe’s top leagues.Meanwhile, the Formula 1 season is in full swing, plus we have golf, tennis, including the final stages of Wimbledon and more on the cards.Subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here.How to watch the game Getty ImagesStick with us for all of the updates and insight you need. You can also watch the action on Fox in the U.S. and ITV1 in the UK.What time is kick-off? Getty ImagesIt’s an early start in Atlanta, with the action getting underway at midday ET, which is local time at the stadium.That means a 9am PT start on the west coast and 5pm BST in the UK.Kick-off is 7pm in Cairo and 1pm in Buenos Aires. Welcome to Argentina vs Egypt! Getty ImagesHello and welcome back to our coverage of this engrossing 2026 World Cup as the last 16 draws to a close. With the identity of six teams in the quarter-finals already confirmed, we now wait to see if the defending champions Argentina can join them. Or will Egypt pull off an upset?Stick with us for all the build-up, team news, analysis, match action and reaction from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.