New Zealand's national soccer team mistakenly spelled the name of their opponent, Egypt, as 'Eygpt' on a ceremonial flag exchanged before their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match on Sunday night in Vancouver.
Social media catches error
Ahead of the match at BC Place, New Zealand Football's official social media account posted images from the team's locker room, including a photo of the ceremonial flag. The flag, which is presented to the opposing team's captain during pre-game handshakes, read 'New Zealand vs. Eygpt' along with the date and location of the match.
Users on social media quickly spotted the error and made jokes about it. 'Which confederation does EYGPT play for?' one user replied. 'EYGPT, the latest AI app,' another wrote.
Flag used despite mistake
Despite the mistake being noticed online, the team apparently either didn't realize the error or had no backup option. The flag with the spelling mistake was used during pre-game team photos and the ceremony.
The incident occurred before New Zealand's 3-1 loss to Egypt, which marked Egypt's first-ever World Cup victory.
Match details
New Zealand took a first-half lead on a header by Finn Surman. However, Egypt stormed back in the second half with three goals. Mostafa Zico scored in the 58th minute, followed by a goal from former Liverpool star Mohamed Salah. Trezeguet put the game out of reach in the 82nd minute.
The Kiwis now face a must-win match against Belgium in their final group stage game to have any chance of advancing to the knockout stage. Belgium, ranked No. 10 in the world, has drawn both of their opening matches, including a 0-0 result against Iran after going down to 10 men following Nathan Ngoy's red card.
