Australia vs Egypt: How to watch live and free, kick-off time and predictions
Key takeaways
- Australia face Egypt in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 at 4am AEST on Saturday, 4 July, and it's completely free to watch on SBS.
- Egypt's captain, Mohamed Salah, has resumed partial training after picking up a hamstring injury in the group stage, so it's likely we'll see him back on the pitch.
- It's the first time the two nations will meet at a World Cup. According to predictions, the Socceroos have a 46% chance of a historic first knockout win.
Australia's push for a maiden FIFA World Cup knockout win comes down to a pre-dawn showdown with Egypt this weekend.
Here's everything you need to know about kick-off time, how to watch and who's tipped to win.
What time does Australia vs Egypt kick off?
The Round of 32 match kicks off Saturday, 4am AEST on Saturday 4 July.
It's being played at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
How do I watch Australia vs Egypt live and free?
SBS has exclusive broadcast rights to the entire World Cup in Australia, so this one is completely free to watch.
- SBS (Channel 3) for live free-to-air coverage, with pre-match coverage starting from 3am AEST
- SBS VICELAND (Channel 31), if there's a scheduling clash
- SBS On Demand to live stream, or catch replays and highlights afterwards
All you need is a free SBS account to start streaming.
How did Australia and Egypt qualify for the knockout stage?
Australia finished second in Group D.
They beat Türkiye 2-0, lost 2-0 to co-hosts the United States, then drew 0-0 with Paraguay to secure their spot in the knockout rounds.
Egypt arrive unbeaten.
They drew 1-1 with Belgium, beat New Zealand 3-1, then drew 1-1 with Iran to finish second in Group G.
It's the first time the Pharaohs have made it out of the group stage in their World Cup history.
This is also the first time Australia and Egypt have met at a World Cup.
They've played twice before: Australia won a 1987 President's Cup match on penalties, and Egypt won a 2010 friendly 3-0 in Cairo.
Will Mohamed Salah play?
Egypt's captain and Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah is one of the best-known players at this World Cup, and he's already contributed a goal and 2 assists in the group stage.
He came off in the 57th minute against Iran with what the Egyptian football federation confirmed is a hamstring injury.
He's resumed partial training, so there's a chance he'll feature against the Socceroos on Saturday.
If Salah doesn't play, Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush leads Egypt's attack.
What are Australia's chances?
Australia sit 27th in the latest FIFA rankings, just 2 spots above Egypt, and this one is expected to be tight.
Opta's supercomputer gives the Socceroos a 46% chance of winning, while some bookmakers have Egypt as narrow favourites.
Most score predictions point to a low-scoring result, with a few tipping a single Salah moment to be the difference if he's fit to feature.
Australia assistant coach Hayden Foxe has warned that Egypt won't be easy to break down, according to SBS News.
"They're tough... they know each other, they've been together for a long period of time, so they play as a team, as a unit," he said.
Australia's World Cup history
The Socceroos have never won a World Cup knockout match.
Their best result remains reaching the Round of 16, which they've done twice: in Germany in 2006 and Qatar in 2022.
A win over Egypt would be Australia's first-ever World Cup knockout victory.
Sources
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