Salah inspires Egypt's first World Cup win in 92 years

Mohamed Salah turned a tense night in Vancouver into a historic breakthrough, scoring the decisive goal in Egypt’s 3-1 comeback over New Zealand at BC Place and delivering the national team’s first World Cup win. Egypt had trailed after Finn Surman headed New Zealand ahead in the 15th minute, before Mostafa Zico equalized in the 58th minute, Salah struck in the 67th, and Trezeguet finished the job in the 82nd.

FIFA said the victory was Egypt’s first in the men’s World Cup, coming 92 years and 25 days after the country’s debut, and noted that Egypt had never before been behind at halftime in a World Cup match. Salah was named player of the match, and the result sent Egypt to the top of Group G with one game left to play. Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi congratulated the squad after the result, which carried weight well beyond the scoreline.

The win also added another layer to a tournament that is already being shaped by politics away from the field. While Egypt celebrated in Canada, Iran’s World Cup camp was dealing with a visa row that pushed its preparations into Mexico. Iran’s squad landed in Tijuana on June 6 after the United States denied visas to some members of the delegation, including support staff, even though the players were eventually approved.

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said the team should have arrived earlier because adjusting to the 12-hour time difference takes about two weeks. Captain Ehsan Hajsafi said the team wanted to take its complaint to FIFA and questioned why the visas were issued so late. Iranian officials said several administrative and management staff were still denied entry, leaving the delegation split between sporting access and bureaucratic exclusion.

That arrangement leaves Iran based in Mexico even though all of its group-stage matches will be played in the United States, with fixtures against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Los Angeles and Seattle. The contrast is stark: one part of the tournament is producing a rare sporting milestone for Egypt, while another is already revealing how visas, borders and diplomatic fault lines can shape who gets to take part at all. In a World Cup promoted as a global gathering, national symbolism and state power are colliding before the knockout rounds have even begun.