Messi vs. Salah In Argentina-Egypt; Colombia Matches Up With Switzerland

The 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 concludes on Tuesday night with a pair of intriguing matchups. First up, defending champions Argentina take on an Egyptian team that is in the middle of its most successful World Cup.

The day concludes with Colombia and Switzerland meeting in Vancouver. Both teams have been improving throughout the tournament, and the winner will be a team nobody wants to face.

Here is all you need to know for Tuesday at the World Cup:

Argentina vs. Egypt

When: Tuesday, July 7, noon ET

Where: Atlanta Stadium

TV: FOX

Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One

Argentina and Egypt meet on Tuesday at Atlanta Stadium with the winner claiming a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals. Both teams had grueling matchups in the round of 32, as Argentina needed 120 minutes to find its way past Cape Verde with a 3-2 win. Egypt, meanwhile, only prevailed past Australia through a shootout after both teams played to a 1-1 draw after 120 hard-fought minutes.

Argentina is the clear favorite in this one, as Lionel Scaloni’s squad has won all four of its games at the tournament and has looked like a strong contender to defend its World Cup title.

Of course, La Albiceleste are still heavily reliant on Lionel Messi, who, at age 39, remains a dominant figure in the sport. Messi enters this game having scored seven of Argentina's 11 goals this tournament. The issue for Argentina in this game, and in every remaining game, is whether the supporting cast can contribute in the rare event that Messi struggles to score. Thus far, the signs are not that encouraging.

What is key for Argentina is to see other top scoring options, such as Lautaro Martínez and Julian Alvarez, find the back of the net. In this tournament, Alvarez has no goals and no assists, while Martinez has just one goal. On the flip side, Argentina’s midfield — led by Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Thiago Almada and Rodrigo De Paul — have all played well and have been important to the team’s success.

While Argentina continues to play well, Egypt arrives in the round of 16 having won just one of its four games (counting the shootout win over Australia as a draw). It has drawn both Belgium and Iran 1-1 while defeating only New Zealand 3-1.

Egypt has fought incredibly hard in this tournament, but wins have been difficult to come by. The Pharaohs are led by legendary Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who, at age 34, is potentially playing at his last World Cup. 

This tournament has been a huge success for him and Hossam Hassan’s team, as it is the first time Egypt ever advanced out of the group stage at the World Cup. In addition to surpassing that barrier, Egypt has now advanced past the first round of the knockout.

Argentina is heavily favored in this game, while Egypt has not kept a clean sheet yet in this tournament and now face one of the world’s most powerful offenses.

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It is hard to think of things that have not been said about Messi, but the Inter Miami attacker has now scored in eight straight World Cup matches. In his career, Messi has 12 goal contributions in the knockout stages of the World Cup. He remains at the heart of everything Argentina does, and even at his age, that might be enough for Argentina to win a second straight title. 

Switzerland vs. Colombia

When: Tuesday, July 7, 4 p.m. ET

Where: BC Place Vancouver

TV: FOX

Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One

The World Cup round of 16 will conclude on Tuesday evening when Switzerland and Colombia meet at Vancouver Stadium.

It promises to be a distinct clash of styles as Switzerland play with a very disciplined and tactical–oriented approach. Colombia, meanwhile, is very aggressive and possession-oriented with several technical players who can all make big plays.

Switzerland began the tournament poorly with a 1–1 draw vs. Qatar. Since then, Murat Yakin’s team has improved significantly with each passing game. First, it was a 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Then it was a 2-1 win over co-hosts Canada in Vancouver, the same site as Tuesday's game. Most recently, however, it was a convincing 2-0 win over Algeria, also in Vancouver.

Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi, 20, has been one of the tournament’s breakout young players. In his last three games at this World Cup, Manzambi has three goals and two assists.

Another encouraging sign for Switzerland has been that its captain, Granit Xhaka, 33, has turned back the clock and played as he did five-to-seven years ago, when he was Arsenal’s captain. His performance against Algeria was instrumental to the win, and if he can play like that again, Switzerland can win this game.

Colombia comes into this game playing very well on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Nestor Lorenzo’s team has kept three clean sheets out of four games this tournament, and its high level of possession has forced opponents to chase its players for long stretches.

Offensively, Colombia has a lot of weapons, and the attack is led by winger Luis Díaz, a national icon in Colombia, who is coming off a great season with Bayern Munich. Forward Luis Suárez was a difference maker in the 1–0 win over Ghana in the round of 32. Suarez was subbed into the game in just the eighth minute, but was the most dangerous player on the field for the next 82 minutes, setting up the only goal minutes after coming on.

It's hard to say who the favorite is in this game. Both teams had been playing very well in the last three games. But one thing that is in Colombia's favor is the massive support it has received from its large contingent of fans who have followed the team. Thus far in the tournament, it has arguably been the best-supported team outside the three hosting nations. Vancouver Stadium will be decidedly behind Colombia on Tuesday night.

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The Swiss captain is essential to his team’s chances of playing the way it wants to play. Switzerland cannot afford to chase the game for too long, and Xhaka, at his best, can win possession and set up his teammates in the attacking third while also defending well. Switzerland needs him to be in his top form like he was against Ghana.