Despite the bitter disappointment of being eliminated in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup by Argentina, the reigning world champions, the heroic and epic performance delivered by the Egyptian national team in Tuesday’s match turned social media platforms into an unprecedented outpouring of love and support from Arab and Egyptian entertainment stars.

Instead of being filled with sadness, the official accounts of artists were decorated with messages of pride in “the Pharaohs and coach Hossam Hassan”, amid widespread agreement and strong assertions that the team had suffered severe refereeing injustice, with sporting fairness absent in order to serve FIFA’s calculations, satisfy sponsors, and help Messi reach the final.

Sherihan: You delivered a performance that deserves to be studied, while the refereeing was unfair and unjust

Among the first to praise the team was Sherihan, who shared a lengthy message describing the Pharaohs’ performance, saying: “A performance that made us proud, marked by professionalism, commitment, values, sportsmanship, and respect. You played football that deserves to be studied, and we witnessed mutual respect, teamwork, and selflessness.”

Sherihan added in a firm tone: “From my perspective, the victory and triumph belong to our national team. It was a deserved win in the face of an unfair and unjust referee and refereeing decisions. The conclusion: thank you to the men of our national football team. You honored us and made us proud.”

Hassan El Raddad and Mai Omar attack FIFA and the referees: “Are you supposed to help Messi?”

The wave of support from the entertainment world was also accompanied by sharp and direct criticism of the decisions made by the French refereeing team led by the match referee. Hassan El Raddad launched a fierce attack through his Instagram account, bitterly asking: “Does this mean you have to help Messi reach the final? A goal for Egypt was disallowed and a goal was awarded to Argentina, even though both involved the same refereeing situation. We are playing against Argentina, the referees, FIFA, outside influences, and the sponsors, and you still expect us to win? Congratulations to FIFA, and congratulations to Argentina for advancing past us thanks to the refereeing.”

Mai Omar completely agreed with him in a Facebook post, stating: “The Egyptian national team was playing against Argentina, the referee, and FIFA. Despite all the circumstances, you played with the spirit of champions and delivered a performance worthy of Egypt’s name. You deserved to win, and the injustice was clear, but you earned everyone’s respect.”

As for Menna Fadali, she expressed her intense anger, describing the French referee as “the worst person in the tournament... you will be cursed for the rest of your life.”

In the same context, Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Aziz launched a strong attack on Facebook, saying: “You did an outstanding job. By God, you really wore Argentina down. You are true men, men, men. What happened to you was no small matter, especially with such a poor referee in charge. May God hold every unjust person accountable.”

Mahmoud El Bezawy also joined the list of stars strongly criticizing the organizational and marketing aspects surrounding the Argentine star. Commenting on the match result through his official Instagram account, he wrote: “Never call it a defeat. For the first time, I truly feel the taste of victory. I have a very strong feeling that we have won the World Cup. It is clear that Messi is a marketing product, not a player.”

Ahmed Helmy links the Palestinian flag to FIFA’s attack: “This is what drove them crazy”

Ahmed Helmy reacted to the event in two ways. First, through his Instagram account, where he wrote: “For me, we have won the World Cup thanks to you.” However, his most notable gesture was his comment on a picture of head coach Hossam Hassan holding the Palestinian flag, a gesture that had previously and recently made the coach a trending topic. Helmy cleverly commented: “This is what drove them crazy. Congratulations to Egypt and to the Egyptian national team, the incredibly strong men, congratulations.”

“What happened in today’s match was a great injustice. Even in football, favoritism and connections seem to have a role! What the referee did was blatant injustice. But everyone saw what happened, and Egypt’s national team held its country’s head high and made all Arabs proud. It was an honorable performance that warmed the heart.”

In the same context, Libyan artist Hameed Al Shaeri launched a sharp and sarcastic attack on the tournament’s refereeing choices, expressing broad Arab solidarity with teams that had suffered similar injustices. He strongly criticized what he described as match manipulation, saying:

“I announce that the referee of the beloved Morocco vs France match is Argentine! Are you going to favor one another at the expense of Arab teams? Is this a circumcision ceremony or the mayor’s wedding?”