Switzerland and Colombia face off in a balanced confrontation.

Egypt dreams of historic achievement against Messi and his teammates.

The clash between Argentine star Lionel Messi and Egyptian star Mohamed Salah headlines the round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup this Tuesday evening, as their teams meet at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Defending champion Argentina narrowly avoided a shocking defeat against debutant Cape Verde in the round of 32 of the tournament, currently hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, while Egypt needed a penalty shootout to overcome Australia in its first knockout stage appearance in the World Cup.

It was no surprise that Argentina were heavy favorites against Cape Verde, but they were unexpectedly pushed to a tough match against the stubborn 'Blue Sharks,' who came from behind twice to force extra time. In the end, the world champions secured their round of 16 spot thanks to an own goal by Cape Verde's Dione Borges in the 111th minute, handing Lionel Scaloni's men the win over the African side, whose players took 16 shots at Argentina's goal but could not overcome the experience of the 'Tango Dancers' over 120 minutes.

The Argentine team is known for its exceptional performance in extra time in all World Cup tournaments, having now won 10 out of 12 matches that went beyond 90 minutes, with four wins without penalties and six wins from penalties.

Despite the tough round of 32 for Argentina's fans, their team is now on an impressive eight-match winning streak across all competitions, scoring two or more goals in each win, taking their tally to 11 goals in four World Cup matches so far.

For its part, Egypt qualified directly to the knockout stage of the 1934 World Cup in the second edition, which featured only 16 teams, but its first World Cup win came with a 3-1 victory over New Zealand in the group stage, followed by a bigger historic win in Arlington this time. After a thrilling match that went to penalties against Australia, Egypt achieved a 100% success rate in their spot kicks, partly thanks to Salah's audacious Panenka, while Australian defenders Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington missed their penalties over the bar, giving the Pharaohs a historic achievement by reaching the round of 16 for the first time. Salah's tears after the match told the full story for Egypt, who now set aside the joy of their first round-of-16 appearance as they strive to fix defensive weaknesses before facing the current world champions, having conceded at least one goal in six consecutive matches after previously keeping three consecutive clean sheets.

Meanwhile, Switzerland face Colombia at BC Place in Vancouver. Switzerland secured their round of 16 spot after a deserved 2-0 win over Algeria in the round of 32, while Colombia qualified after overcoming a tough Ghana side 1-0. The real turning point in Switzerland's campaign came after a big 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, a match where all five goals came after the 74th minute, thanks to the significant impact of substitutes Yohan Manzambi and Ruben Vargas. This brilliance prompted coach Yakin to start them in the final group match, which ended in a 2-1 win over co-host Canada, ensuring Switzerland topped Group 2. The Swiss duo continued their fine form in the round of 32 against Algeria, where the 20-year-old midfielder Manzambi set up the first goal for teammate Breel Embolo just 10 minutes into the game. In contrast, Colombia, under coach Néstor Lorenzo, enter the match with high morale and an impressive run of five wins and one draw in their last six matches across all competitions. The only draw in that streak was a goalless stalemate against Portugal, led by superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, in the final group match, which saw a goal by defender Davinson Sánchez disallowed for offside in stoppage time.

Colombia topped Group 11 to face Ghana in the round of 32, securing a valuable 1-0 win despite the early loss of striker John Córdoba due to injury.