The Socceroos are looking to make history by beating Egypt and winning their first World Cup knockout match.
The Road To 32
This Socceroos side is preparing to achieve something no other Australian men’s team has before: Win a knockout match at a World Cup.
They come into their Round of 32 match against Egypt after a group stage of mixed results.
A win over Türkiye in the opening match set the stage for World Cup dreams, but a 2-0 defeat to the USA quickly brought reality home before a goalless draw with Paraguay left most wondering if this group can take the next step.
“The staff, the players – just a wonderful young group of men – and now we go to Dallas and we’ll try and do something special.” – Tony Popovic
Meanwhile, Egypt closed their group with a 1-1 draw with Iran to finish 2nd on goal difference. They completed a dominant 3-1 win over New Zealand, sandwiched between another draw with Belgium. As expected, the Pharaohs relied heavily on Mohamed Salah. However, he came off against Iran with a hamstring issue and remains under an injury cloud ahead of their Round of 32 match.
Australia v Egypt
Egypt are $2.45 favourites to win the match after 90 minutes. However, given what we’ve seen already in the Round of 32, this one might need more time.
There isn’t a big expectation for goals with Under 2.5 for the match at a short $1.43, despite the first goal expected to come inside 30 minutes at $2.10.
The Socceroos have built a reputation on physicality in this World Cup. They’re expected to lean heavily on that again at the defensive end against Egypt. Alessandro Circati, Harry Souttar, and Cam Burgess will all play a key role in Australia’s chances of advancing as they look to keep a lid on a dangerous Egypt attack.
Egypt have produced at a much higher volume than Australia throughout the opening three matches, amassing 48 total shots to Australia’s 26. They’ll look to control possession in the middle third and trust their higher volume of shots will translate into goals soon enough.
Mohamed Salah, provided he’s fit, brings the world-class quality in front of goal to be the $3.30 favourite to score in the match. While Omar Marmoush is yet to score at the tournament, he’s created plenty of chances and will be worth considering at $3.75 to break the drought. It’s only a matter of time before the Manchester City star produces something special.
Expect Australia to sit deeper in defence and invite pressure. They’ll instead look to disrupt transitions and score on set-piece and counter-attack opportunities. Jordan Bos, in particular, will be a key figure on the right following a dangerous performance against Paraguay.
Stop that Jordy Bos. pic.twitter.com/S06ubVnSFh
— Stop That Football (@stopthatfooty) June 14, 2026
He’s at $5 to score or assist on a Socceroos goal. At set-piece time, Souttar has 11 goals in 41 international appearances and will be out to rise above and get a shot or two off from inside the box ($3.30 2+ shots).
While Australia weren’t expected to feature too heavily in the group stages, they’ve exceeded expectations and are at $3.25 to do it again here.
Australia v Egypt Bet
We’re relying on his limping off against Iran being a precautionary measure to back Mohamed Salah in against the Socceroos. The Egypt attack will run through him in one form or another.
While Liverpool fans won’t have high hopes for the forward following a disappointing Premier League season, he’s looked sharp at the World Cup.
In @ESPNFC;
Mohamed Salah looks set to feature for Egypt in their round of 32 clash with Australia on Friday after recovering from a hamstring strain, but coach Hossam Hassan would not commit to starting the superstar attacker.
— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) July 2, 2026
He’s scored a goal and dished out two assists already. He will see plenty of the ball in dangerous areas and draw attention around the edge of the box whenever he’s in the area, let alone in possession. If nothing else, Salah is Egypt’s primary penalty taker and will stand over their most threatening free kicks.
Even if Australia’s low block can keep a lid on the Egypt attack in open play, Salah will have his opportunity from dead-ball situations to have a shot or play a teammate into position.