Three goals in 11 minutes. Argentina were 2-0 down and apparently heading for one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 World Cup when something remarkable happened. They scored three times to win 3-2 — but the result has been almost entirely overshadowed by what the officials, and more specifically the video assistant referee, did or did not do during the match.

What happened in the game?

Egypt had been the better side for large stretches and held a two-goal advantage with barely a quarter of an hour left. Argentina, the reigning champions, looked rattled. Then, in what the BBC's Football Daily podcast described as one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament so far, the South Americans turned the game completely on its head. The comeback was extraordinary by any measure — but the biggest talking point afterwards was not the goals themselves.

The VAR controversy

According to BBC Football Issues Correspondent Dale Johnson, who joined the Football Daily panel to dissect the match, the controversial decisions made by VAR are the central question hanging over this result. Whether those decisions cost Egypt a famous victory is now the dominant conversation coming out of the game.

The specifics of each ruling are being scrutinised closely, and Egypt's camp will feel aggrieved that officiating calls shaped the outcome as much as the football itself. It is a familiar complaint at major tournaments — VAR was introduced to remove clear errors, yet it consistently generates its own wave of controversy and ambiguity. When the margins are as fine as they appeared to be in this fixture, the technology does little to settle arguments and plenty to start new ones.

Switzerland through on penalties

Elsewhere in the tournament, Switzerland beat Colombia on penalties to advance, adding another layer of drama to what has been a gripping set of fixtures. Penalty shootouts remain the most brutal way to settle a match — Switzerland will not care about that right now, but Colombia will feel the particular agony that comes with going out in that fashion.

What it means for the competition

Argentina's ability to find a comeback from 2-0 down with so little time remaining says something about their resilience as a squad. Sides with genuine title credentials tend to find a way even when the game appears lost — that mentality is difficult to coach and even harder to manufacture under tournament pressure. The market will continue to regard them as serious contenders on the back of this, regardless of how unconvincing large parts of the performance were.

For Egypt, the sense of injustice may linger. Had VAR gone differently — or not intervened at a key moment — they may have been celebrating one of the great World Cup results. Instead they are out, and the debate about how the technology is being applied will run well beyond this particular fixture.

The 2026 World Cup is producing the drama its expanded format promised. Whether the officiating is keeping pace with the occasion is a much thornier question.

FAQs

Frequently asked

What was the score between Argentina and Egypt at the 2026 World Cup?
Argentina beat Egypt 3-2 in what became one of the most dramatic matches of the 2026 World Cup, coming back from 2-0 down with just 11 minutes remaining.
Did VAR affect the Argentina vs Egypt result?
VAR decisions during the match became the biggest talking point afterwards, with widespread debate about whether the rulings cost Egypt what would have been a famous victory.
Who beat Colombia at the 2026 World Cup?
Switzerland defeated Colombia on penalties to progress at the 2026 World Cup.