Egypt’s Football Association has formally lodged a complaint with FIFA, calling for an investigation into French referee François Letexier and his officiating team following the Pharaohs’ dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Egyptian federation announced on Wednesday that its president, Hany Aburida, submitted the complaint, alleging what it described as “serious refereeing mistakes” and “double standards” that contributed to Egypt’s elimination from the tournament.
According to the federation, the complaint seeks an investigation into both the on-field officials and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team over decisions made during Tuesday’s match in Atlanta.
The most contentious incident came after Mostafa Ziko had given Egypt the lead. A second goal scored by Ziko while Egypt were 1-0 ahead was ruled out following a VAR review, with officials determining that a foul had been committed on Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez earlier in the attacking move.
Ziko later restored Egypt’s two-goal advantage, putting the African side on the verge of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in its history. However, Argentina mounted a comeback through Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi before Enzo Fernández scored the decisive winner.
Egypt also argued that it should have been awarded a penalty in the build-up to Argentina’s winning goal, claiming Alexis Mac Allister fouled Hamdy Fathy inside the penalty area. The federation criticised the officiating team for failing to review the incident despite VAR being available.
In its statement, the Egyptian Football Association said it had requested FIFA to investigate what it described as “blatant errors” and the failure to review footage that it believes would have resulted in both a legitimate Egyptian goal and a penalty award.
The federation further called for the removal of Letexier and the entire officiating crew from the remainder of the World Cup if the investigation confirms its allegations.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan also strongly criticised the officiating after the match, claiming his team had been treated unfairly.
“We have been cheated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice,” Hassan told reporters after the game.
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Speaking to broadcaster beIN Sports, Hassan suggested that external factors may have influenced the outcome, saying that perhaps tournament organisers wanted defending champions Argentina and captain Lionel Messi to remain in the competition. However, he provided no evidence to support the claim.
The defeat ended Egypt’s World Cup campaign despite the team holding a two-goal advantage during the match. Argentina, meanwhile, advanced to the quarter-finals as they continue the defence of their World Cup title.
FIFA had not publicly responded to Egypt’s complaint at the time of publication.
