After perhaps the most explosive game of the 2026 World Cup to date, the fallout from Argentina’s 3-2 win over Egypt continues to make headlines. The Argentinian FA (AFA) have now been forced to deny sending an email in which they admitted ‘corruption’.

Things were going so well for Egypt as they took the lead through Yasser Ibrahim before Lionel Messi missed his penalty. The first controversy then happened as VAR stepped in to rule out Mostafa Ziko’s goal, although he then scored to make it 2-0 shortly afterwards.

From here, though, Hossam Hassan’s side fell apart with goals from Cristian Romero, Messi and Enzo Fernandes allowing Argentina to complete the impressive comeback in the space of 14 minutes. Egypt were furious at full-time as they questioned numerous refereeing decisions, including the disallowed Ziko goal, while some feel Mohamed Salah should have been awarded a penalty in the build-up to the 93rd-minute winner.

In the aftermath, Egyptian hackers are now suspected of sending a wild email from Argentine FA accounts.

Egyptian Hackers Accused of Sending Argentine Email

REUTERS/Paul Childs

As reported by the Telegraph, the AFA have urged recipients to ignore messages sent in an email which “were not generated or authorised by our team.” The alleged scam messages from the federation’s media team account attack French referee Francois Letexier.

Letexier was immediately the subject of great scrutiny after the game, with Egypt manager Hassan furious at full-time. Speaking about Ziko’s ruled out, he angrily told the media: “They want Argentina and Messi to stay in the World Cup for marketing. If they wanted Argentina to win, why invite other teams to participate? This match was clearly rigged, and the whole world witnessed it.”

Egypt have also since filed a complaint, writing in a statement on social media: “Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game.”

What Was Said in the Email as Argentina Deny Validity

REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

An email sent from an account linked to the AFA’s media team reportedly told journalists that “Argentina did not win” and the team’s victory was the result of “corrupt refereeing decisions”. The email also praised the Egyptian team’s performance.

It’s said that a group of hackers of Egyptian origin had breached part of the AFA database, obtaining email addresses, passwords and IP addresses. Adding to this, Argentina have denied the authenticity of the email. In a statement, they said:

“We would like to inform you that we have detected the possible sending of emails from one of our institutional accounts that were not generated or authorised by our team.

“Given this situation, and while we carry out the corresponding verifications together with the systems area, we ask that you disregard any message you have recently received from our account that seems unusual, especially if it contains links, attachments or requests personal information. There is a possibility that our account has been subject to unauthorised access, so we are working to clarify what happened and take the necessary security measures.

“Our systems have the appropriate security and safeguards in place. The incident is being analysed to determine its origin and scope.”

An injury expert has predicted how long Kylian Mbappe could be sidelined after he was seen nursing his foot with ice following France’s 2-0 win over Morocco in the World Cup quarter-final on Thursday night.

The Real Madrid striker boosted his Ballon d’Or credentials by scoring his 20th World Cup goal in Boston, with Les Bleus now reaching their third consecutive semi-final in the tournament. Didier Deschamps’ side have looked every bit the favourites so far as they chase a second title in the last three tournaments, with the Supercomputer predicting them to do just that.

However, the sight of Mbappe hobbling off and needing an ice pack on his foot would have been an unwelcome one for France. Concerns quickly grew that he may have suffered a recurrence of a previous issue after asking to be substituted in the 77th minute.

Injury Expert’s Analysis of Mbappe’s Injury vs Morocco

France’s Kylian Mbappe via Reuters/Winslow Townson

After reviewing the footage of Mbappe’s injury, Physio Scout – an X account well-known for their assessments on player injuries – has provided a timeline for his recovery, depending on the extent of his condition. They wrote (see the full post below):

They added: “Unlikely that it’s any sprain, but scans might be necessary to determine the extent of the injury. Hopefully it’s just a minor one for France, as Mbappe did try and play on.”

France’s Attack Has Les Bleues Dreaming of a Third Crown

Sarah Meyssonnier via Reuters

Incredibly, only eight countries have scored more goals than Mbappe has by himself across the last three World Cup tournaments. His tally of 20 is just one behind the Netherlands and five shy of Spain. While he is a major reason why France head into every tournament believing they can go all the way, Deschamps also has plenty of other attacking options at his disposal.

Even without Mbappe’s goals, France would still rank as the joint fifth-highest-scoring nation across that period, with Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele serving as their next most reliable source of goals. Michael Olise has also played a key role creatively, with his five assists the most of any player at this year’s tournament.

The depth of France’s attacking talent is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola are battling for places in the starting XI, while Rayan Cherki – one of the Premier League’s standout performers last season – has been limited to just 61 minutes of action.

As is always the case, the World Cup will lead to glory for one nation, but many painful moments for the others who fail to go all the way. Portugal know this feeling well, having never won the competition before, and have fallen short once more in 2026.

Coming up against Spain in the Last 16, they were beaten by a single goal from substitute Mikel Merino in the 91st minute. It was a particularly emotional moment for many in the Portuguese team, as national icon Cristiano Ronaldo left the pitch in tears, later confirming this would be his final World Cup.

While some will suggest that Roberto Martinez’s repeated faith in the 41-year-old striker hindered the team, there are plenty who point the finger of blame at other Portugal stars. Ronaldo fans in particular have leapt to the defence of their icon, which has made social media a rather toxic place for some of his teammates, including Bruno Fernandes.

Jeenah Moon via Action Images via Reuters

It’s fair to say Fernandes did not have a very impressive World Cup. Having been named Premier League Player of the Season, there were high expectations that the Manchester United star could help deliver the goods this summer. However, he picked up just one assist (in the 5-0 win over Uzbekistan) and failed to score in any of his nation’s five World Cup games before Spain sent them home.

Taking to social media after the exit, Fernandes has now expressed his disappointment in an emotional statement. It read:

However, after angry Ronaldo and Portugal fans flocked to the post, making their fury clear, Fernandes was forced to take immediate action and turn off comments underneath the post.

Fernandes Accused of Sabotaging Ronaldo’s World Cup Dream

Rodrigo Antunes via Reuters

As per the Daily Mail, Man Utd ace Fernandes has been among those to have faced strong accusations of sabotaging Ronaldo’s World Cup dream. Portugal teammates Pedro Neto, Vitinha and Joao Neves have faced similar issues.

Paris Saint-Germain star Neves unwittingly opened the door to a wave of outrage during the tournament. He was accused of being ‘disrespectful’ after he said of Ronaldo: “He is just another player here to help. He is no different from the others. He is here to contribute, just like all of us.”

In reaction to Fernandes’ statement, supporters online are said to have commented: ‘He knows everybody knows he is a selfish player sabotaging Ronaldo for gaining his own spotlight.’ After the Man Utd star then disabled the reply button, another said: “Bruno Fernandes locking his comments section shows that everything said about him and his fellow midfielders during this World Cup is true.”

One more added: “Bruno Fernandes finally shows up… but on Instagram and X. On the pitch, nowhere to be found, Portugal eliminated and he still disables the comments.”

With such a strong reaction, it’s not hard to see why Fernandes felt he had to take action.