2026 World Cup: Argentina vs. Egypt Confirmed Line-ups - Lautaro Martinez Out

In a significant tactical shift for the reigning champions, Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan has been omitted from the starting lineup for Argentina's 2026 World Cup round of 16 clash against Egypt. Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez will take his place in the attack.

The final set of round of 16 fixtures in the 2026 World Cup is scheduled for Tuesday evening, commencing with the Argentina versus Egypt encounter at 5:00 PM BST, followed by Switzerland against Colombia at 9:00 PM BST.

Argentina has maintained a perfect winning record throughout the 2026 tournament, securing maximum points by topping Group J. They advanced to the current stage after a dramatic 3-2 victory over Cape Verde in injury time during their round of 32 match.

Coach Lionel Scaloni has introduced three alterations to the squad that narrowly defeated Cape Verde. The most notable change is the substitution of Lautaro Martinez with Julian Alvarez.

Additionally, Thiago Almada and Facundo Medina have been replaced in the starting XI by Nicolas Tagliafico and Leandro Paredes, respectively. Nico Paz from Como is also listed among Argentina's substitutes.

Egypt's progression in the 2026 World Cup has been characterized by close matches, with three of their four games ending in a draw after 90 minutes. They qualified in second place from Group G with five points and narrowly overcame Australia on penalties in the round of 32.

The Egyptian squad features Mohamed Salah as their prominent star, with no players currently representing Serie A clubs.

Argentina vs. Egypt: Confirmed Line-ups

Argentina (4-1-3-2): E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, L. Martinez, Tagliafico; Mac Allister; De Paul, E. Fernandez, Paredes; Alvarez, Messi.

Substitutes: Musso, Rulli, Senesi, Montiel, Otamendi, Medina, Barco, Lo Celso, Palacios, Gonzalez, Simeone, Paz, Lopez, Lautaro Martinez.

Egypt (4-2-3-1): Shoubir; Ibrahim, Rabia, Hafez, Hany; Attia, Lashin; Salah, Ashour, Zico; Hassan.

Substitutes: El-Shenawy, Soliman, M. Alaa, Abdelmaguid, T. Alaa, Fathy, Donga, Saber, Trezeguet, Abdelkarim, Adel, Marmoush, Zizo.