Egypt End 92-Year Wait With Maiden World Cup Triumph
Egypt secured the first World Cup victory in their history on Sunday, coming from behind to beat New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver and seize control of Group G with one foot already in the knockout round.
Mohamed Salah, Mostafa Zico, and Trezeguet were on target for the Pharaohs at BC Place after Finn Surman had nodded New Zealand ahead in the 15th minute from Tim Payne’s corner. The win moves Egypt top of Group G on four points, needing only a draw against Iran in Seattle on Friday to reach the last 32.
The result closes a long and frustrating chapter for Egyptian football. The Pharaohs had not won during appearances at the 1934, 1990 or 2018 editions of the tournament, drawing in their most notable outings but never claiming all three points. It was also the first time Egypt scored three goals in a World Cup match, and only the second time they had scored more than once, the previous instance coming against Hungary in 1934.
Egypt struggled in a flat first half, but the introduction of greater urgency after the break transformed the contest. Zico’s powerful header just before the hour, in the 58th minute, beat goalkeeper Max Crocombe to level the scores, and the Pharaohs did not look back. Salah then struck in the 67th minute, exchanging passes with Zico, named after the Brazilian legend, before curling a left-footed finish into the net. The captain delivered the corner from which substitute Trezeguet, himself named after former France forward David Trezeguet, headed home in the 82nd minute to make the game safe.
The milestones piled up around Salah. At 34 years and seven days old, he became the oldest Egyptian to score at a World Cup, surpassing Magdy Abed El Ghani’s 1990 record, and is now the nation’s outright top scorer in the competition with three goals. He also became the oldest African player on record to both score and assist in a single World Cup game, extending his run of scoring or assisting in every World Cup match he has featured in.
“In years to come we will remember that this was one of the achievements in history,” Salah said, praising the large Egyptian contingent in the stands. “It feels like we are playing in Egypt. It’s a great win and great vibe.”
For New Zealand, the defeat carried its own unwanted record. It was the first time the All Whites had lost a World Cup match after scoring first, having drawn the only two previous games in which they led, against Iran earlier in 2026 and Italy in 2010. They remain winless after their first eight World Cup matches, recording four draws and four defeats.
The group remains finely poised. Belgium, the pre-tournament favourites to top Group G, have drawn both their matches and sit third on goals scored, with Iran second after a goalless draw with the Red Devils earlier on Sunday. New Zealand can still reach the knockout rounds if they beat Belgium in Vancouver on Friday.
As things stand, however, Egypt hold the advantage, needing just a point against Iran to complete a historic breakthrough nearly a century in the making.