Friday closes the Round of 32 with three World Cup matches: Australia meets Egypt in Dallas, Argentina takes on Cape Verde, and Colombia faces Ghana in Kansas City. It is Day 23 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and every game airs on FOX with live and on-demand streaming on FOX One.
That is why the question of who is playing in the World Cup today has a sharper edge than usual. Egypt’s lineup is under a spotlight because Mohamed Salah was forced off with a hamstring strain in the group finale against Iran, yet Hossam Hassan says he is optimistic Salah will play against Australia. Australia would welcome the doubt, but this match already has enough weight: neither side has ever won a World Cup knockout match.
Australia reached this stage from Group D on four points after beating Turkiye 2-0, losing to the United States, and drawing Paraguay 0-0. Matthew Ryan was benched before the first game in favor of Beach, who has only five caps but earned a second clean sheet against Paraguay. Egypt came through Group G on five points, which makes Friday’s meeting in Dallas a meeting of two teams that have done enough to survive but not yet enough to settle the bigger question.
The day’s other matches bring different kinds of pressure. Argentina won Group J by multi-goal margins in all three games and has won its last 10 matches, with Lionel Messi tied for the tournament lead with six goals and already on 19 World Cup goals. Cape Verde went unbeaten through three draws, including a scoreless result against Spain, to finish second in Group H, and Vozinha has been outstanding. That makes the matchup more than a formality, even if the underdog label still fits Cape Verde better than the bracket does.
Colombia and Ghana arrive with their own case for attention. Colombia won Group K behind wins over Uzbekistan and DR Congo and a scoreless draw with Portugal, with its attack led by Luis Diaz and James Rodriguez. Ghana advanced as one of the third-place finishers out of Group L, and Carlos Queiroz has quickly repaired the defense, even if the attack has managed just 15 shots across the group stage. By the end of Friday, the Round of 32 will be complete, and the next phase of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin with one fewer mystery and one very live one: whether Salah can really take the field.
