Argentina vs Egypt: Messi’s Holders Eye Quarterfinal as $ARG Burn Looms

World Cup holders Argentina are set to continue their World Cup title defence when they face Egypt in the last-16 tonight, with a place in the quarterfinals, and another Argentina AFA Fan Token™ ($ARG) burn, on the line.

Lionel Messi and co. have already survived one major scare in the knockout stage, edging past Cape Verde 3-2 in the round of 32 after a far less comfortable night than many expected.

Egypt, meanwhile, arrive in the last-16 after holding their nerve against Australia, progressing on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Now, the Pharaohs have the chance to pull off one of the shocks of the tournament by eliminating the champions.

So, can Argentina move one step closer to back-to-back World Cup titles, trigger another $ARG token burn, and keep the pages of Messi’s final golden chapter turning for at least one more night?

Argentina vs Egypt: Match Preview

Argentina and Egypt meet in Atlanta tonight, with the winner set to face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarterfinals.

On paper, Argentina come into the game as clear favourites. Lionel Scaloni’s side won all three of their Group J matches by an aggregate score of 8-1, with Messi scoring six goals in the group stage alone to move to the top of the tournament’s all-time scoring charts.

The round-of-32 clash with Cape Verde, however, showed that the holders are not immune to pressure. Argentina were made to work much harder than expected, and while their attacking quality ultimately told, the 3-2 scoreline will have given Egypt plenty of encouragement.

Egypt have already proven themselves difficult to beat. After progressing from Group G alongside Belgium, they took Australia all the way to penalties in the previous round, showing the kind of resilience and tournament nerve that can make underdogs dangerous in knockout football.

Egypt icon Mohammed Salah comes into the last-16 having created more chances than any other player (16), and the former Liverpool player will have something to prove after a sub-par final season with the club at which he spent nine years.

$ARG Set for Fifth Fan Token™ Burn?

For the duration of the World Cup, as part of Chiliz’ Burn to Glory campaign, selected National Team Fan Tokens™ are subject to token burns whenever their teams win, permanently removing a portion of tokens from the total supply.

Argentina have already been one of the standout Fan Token™ nations of the tournament. Four wins from four so far has resulted in 65,932 $ARG tokens being burned.

A victory over Egypt would go even further. As this is a last-16 match, an Argentina win would trigger a 2.5% burn of Argentina AFA Fan Token™ ($ARG) treasury reserves, equal to 31,917 tokens being permanently reduced from the total supply.

Tonight’s match carries two very different kinds of stakes. On the pitch, Argentina are trying to defend their crown and move one step closer to another World Cup final. Off it, $ARG holders will be watching to see whether Messi and his teammates can trigger another supply reduction at the most important stage of the tournament so far.

Argentina are the only team to have won all of their matches so far, making $ARG the only token to have had the maximum number of tokens burned so far. Can Argentina go all the way and destroy the largest possible number of tokens from their Fan Token’s™ treasury?

Greg Thomson: Fan Tokens Market Reporter