Egypt have filed an official complaint with FIFA against French referee François Letexier and his officiating team following their dramatic 3-2 Round of 16 defeat to defending champions Argentina at Atlanta Stadium. 

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA), led by president Hany Abo Rida, submitted the formal protest after a stunning collapse saw the Pharaohs surrender a two-goal lead in the closing stages, crashing out of the 2026 World Cup in heartbreaking fashion.

Egypt had raced into a commanding position, with Yasser Ibrahim heading them in front before Mostafa Ziko doubled the advantage with a brilliant counterattack finish. However, Argentina staged a remarkable comeback in the final quarter of an hour, as Cristian Romero pulled one back before Lionel Messi levelled matters, and Enzo Fernández completed the turnaround with a stoppage-time winner to send the holders through to the quarterfinals.

The EFA’s complaint centres on a string of contentious officiating decisions. Chief among them was a Mostafa Ziko goal that was ruled out following a VAR review for an alleged foul on Argentina’s Lisandro Martínez in the build-up, a call the federation insists fell outside VAR’s proper remit.

Egypt also pointed to a late penalty appeal involving Mohamed Salah and a separate incident in which Alexis Mac Allister appeared to pull down Hamdy Fathy inside the box moments before Fernández’s winner, neither of which was reviewed by the video assistant referee.

Head coach Hossam Hassan was scathing in his post-match remarks, describing the officiating as unjust and insisting his side had not been treated with fair play, adding that a penalty had been waved away without any VAR check while Egypt’s second goal was controversially chalked off.

Several Egyptian football figures, including legendary former international Mohamed Aboutrika, joined the criticism, with Aboutrika suggesting his players felt from the outset that officiating was working against them and describing the sentiment as damaging to team morale.

The EFA says it had raised objections to Letexier’s appointment even before kickoff and is now demanding that the referee and his entire officiating crew be withdrawn from the remainder of the tournament, alleging what it termed discriminatory treatment of the Egyptian team. FIFA has not yet indicated whether it will formally investigate the complaint or take any disciplinary action.

The controversy comes amid separate scrutiny of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who faced criticism after reportedly intervening to delay a red-card suspension for American forward Folarin Balogun following a phone call from a political figure.

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