Egypt recorded its first World Cup match victory on June 21, 2026, recovering from a goal down to defeat New Zealand 3–1. The result moved Egypt to the top of Group G with four points from two matches and strengthened its prospects of reaching the knockout stage.

New Zealand had the clearer first-half reward. Callum McCowatt forced an early save with a glancing header before defender Finn Surman opened the scoring from a corner. Surman escaped the attention of Ahmed Fatouh and directed a powerful header into the goal, giving the All Whites a lead they carried into half-time.

Egypt had drawn 1–1 with Belgium in its opening match and produced a more forceful performance after the interval. Mohamed Salah became more influential as his team applied sustained pressure. The equaliser arrived in the 58th minute when Mostafa Zico headed in a cross delivered from the right by Mohamed Hany.

Egypt went on to score twice more and complete the 3–1 comeback. The supplied evidence established the final score but did not identify the scorers of those two later goals, so their names cannot be stated safely here. The turnaround nevertheless demonstrated the scale of the second-half shift: New Zealand moved from a one-goal advantage to a two-goal defeat.

Salah described the result as an achievement for the full squad and stressed the importance of the next fixture. At 34, the winger remained central to Egypt’s attack, but the account did not award him a goal in this match. His contribution was described through his influence on the improved second-half display rather than an unsupported entry on the scoresheet.

The group table remained tight. Egypt’s four points put it ahead after two games. Belgium and Iran each had two following their 0–0 draw, while New Zealand had one point after previously drawing 2–2 with Iran. No team’s final position was settled by the June 21 result, and Egypt still needed to navigate its remaining group match.

For New Zealand, the first half showed an effective mix of longer passes and controlled possession, but the side could not contain Egypt after the restart. For Egypt, the victory ended a World Cup history without a match win and replaced it with a comeback achieved under pressure. The milestone was therefore both statistical and competitive: a national first that also placed the team in control of Group G at that stage of the tournament.