The race for the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals continues on Tuesday with two final round-of-16 matches, headlined by a much-anticipated showdown between Argentina captain Lionel Messi and Egypt star Mohamed Salah in Atlanta.
The winner of the clash will move a step closer to the title, while the losing side will see its World Cup campaign come to an end.
The knockout stage has already featured several standout performances from football's biggest stars. France, inspired by Kylian Mbappé, secured a place in the last eight, while Norway advanced behind Erling Haaland. England also booked a quarterfinal berth after edging Mexico 3-2, whereas Portugal exited the tournament following a 1-0 defeat to Spain in what was Cristiano Ronaldo's final World Cup appearance.
Defending champions Argentina enter Tuesday's match led by Messi, who continues to impress at the age of 39. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored seven goals in four matches, matching Mbappé and Haaland in the race for the tournament's Golden Boot. Messi has also extended his record by scoring in eight consecutive World Cup matches dating back to Argentina's title-winning campaign in 2022, taking his overall World Cup tally to 20 goals.
Egypt, meanwhile, will rely heavily on Mohamed Salah, who has long been the face of the country's football. The Liverpool forward has scored three World Cup goals, one shy of the Egyptian national team's all-time international scoring record held by current coach Hossam Hassan.
Salah has already helped Egypt reach new milestones by guiding the Pharaohs to their first-ever World Cup group-stage victory and their maiden knockout-stage win after eliminating Australia in a penalty shootout.
Neither Messi nor Salah has confirmed whether they will continue playing international football after the tournament, adding further significance to Tuesday's encounter.
In the day's other last-16 fixture, Switzerland will take on Colombia in Vancouver. Colombia will become the only team to have played matches in all three host nations — Mexico, the United States and Canada — during this expanded World Cup.
Colombia reached the knockout stage after victories over Uzbekistan, Congo and Ghana, while Switzerland advanced by defeating Algeria 2-0 for its first World Cup knockout win since 1938.
However, the Swiss could be without several key players, with Johan Manzambi, Ruben Vargas and Djibril Sow all facing fitness concerns after cutting short Monday's training session.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni warned against underestimating Egypt, noting that several traditional football powers have already been eliminated in an unpredictable tournament.
"This World Cup has shown there are no clear favorites," Scaloni said, recalling Argentina's hard-fought extra-time victory over Cape Verde in the previous round.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan also expressed confidence ahead of the match, insisting his side is capable of producing another upset.
The winner of Argentina-Egypt will face the victor of the Switzerland-Colombia match in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Kansas City. France, Belgium, Spain, Norway and England have already secured their places in the last eight.
Round of 16 schedule (BD time):
Tuesday, July 7:
— Argentina vs. Egypt, 10:00pm in Atlanta
Wednesday, July 8:
— Switzerland vs. Colombia, 2:00am in Vancouver, British Columbia
Quarterfinals schedule
Friday, July 10:
— Morocco vs. France, 2:00am in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Saturday, July 11:
— Spain vs. Belgium, 1:00am in Inglewood, California
Sunday, July 12:
— Norway vs. England, 3:00am in Miami Gardens, Florida
— Argentina-Egypt winner vs. Switzerland-Colombia winner, 7:00am in Kansas City, Missouri