Introduction
Published July 15, 2026
Emma Hayes meets Messi and Salah, and even a two-time WSL dynasty builder and Olympic gold medal-winning USWNT coach turns into a starstruck fan. Hayes did the ceremonial coin toss between Argentina captain Lionel Messi and Egypt captain Mohamed Salah ahead of their World Cup round-of-16 match on July 7, and she didn’t pretend to be unaffected by it.
Key Takeaways
- USWNT head coach Emma Hayes performed the ceremonial coin toss before Argentina’s round-of-16 win over Egypt at the men’s World Cup on July 7.
- Hayes posted on Instagram that meeting Messi and Salah made her feel like a kid again, and called the day “unforgettable.”
- Former Arsenal forward Ian Wright called Hayes “the queen GOAT” in a comment on her post, a nod to her own trophy case.
- Hayes watched the game from the stands with her son, Harry, as Argentina rallied from a late deficit to win 3-2.
- The appearance came during a rare quiet stretch on the USWNT calendar, before the team turns its full attention to November’s Concacaf W Championship and 2027 World Cup qualifying.
Emma Hayes Meets Messi and Salah at the World Cup Coin Toss
Hayes was invited to midfield before the Argentina-Egypt knockout match as a guest of honor, standing between two of the sport’s most decorated active players to flip the coin. Reflecting on the moment afterward, she wrote on her Instagram story that meeting them made her “felt like a kid again,” and followed up with a separate post calling it a day she’d never forget, adding: “I just friggin love football.”
The reaction generated its own share of attention. Wright, watching along with the rest of the football world, replied to her post by dubbing her “the queen GOAT” — a nod that plenty of USWNT fans would say is earned. Hayes has won seven Women’s Super League titles with Chelsea, the 2021 Best FIFA Women’s Coach award, and, after guiding the USWNT to Paris 2024 Olympic gold in just her tenth match in charge, became the first women’s soccer coach to win a Ballon d’Or coaching award in October 2024.
The match itself gave her plenty to watch. Egypt led for long stretches before Argentina scored three times in the final quarter-hour, with Messi equalizing to extend his own World Cup scoring record to 21 goals and Enzo Fernández heading in the winner in the 92nd minute to send Argentina through, 3-2.
Why It Matters: Why Was a Women’s Soccer Coach at the Men’s World Cup Coin Toss?
FIFA regularly brings in high-profile figures from outside a match to handle ceremonial duties at marquee World Cup games, and inviting Hayes says something about where she now sits in the sport’s hierarchy. She isn’t just the USWNT’s head coach — she’s a decorated Chelsea manager turned Olympic gold medalist who became the first coach to win a Ballon d’Or for women’s soccer coaching, giving her a global profile that extends well beyond the USWNT fan base. Getting that recognition on the biggest stage in men’s soccer is itself a small marker of how far the visibility of successful women’s-game figures has traveled.
Analysis: None of that stature stopped Hayes from reacting like anyone else would standing next to Messi and Salah. That’s the actual charm of the moment for USWNT fans — a coach usually described in terms of tactical precision and demanding standards let herself be visibly, unguardedly excited about the sport itself.
Bigger Picture: A Rare Off-Duty Moment Before a High-Stakes Fall
The timing matters here as much as the moment itself. Hayes’s appearance came in the middle of the long gap on the USWNT calendar between its June friendlies against Brazil — which reunited forwards Trinity Rodman, Sophia Wilson, and Mallory Swanson for the first time since the 2024 Olympics — and the 2026 Concacaf W Championship this November, where the USWNT opens against El Salvador with a World Cup berth on the line. Attending the men’s tournament as a guest, with her son Harry beside her in the stands, was a rare public moment of Hayes simply being a fan rather than a coach under competitive pressure.
What’s Next for Emma Hayes and the USWNT?
That downtime is finite. Hayes’s focus returns fully to preparing her squad for the Concacaf W Championship, where a single win over El Salvador in the quarterfinal would send the USWNT directly to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. Between now and then, expect the same rigor that built her reputation in the first place — this viral fan moment aside, Hayes’s public messaging around the USWNT has stayed squarely fixed on the qualifying tournament ahead.
Conclusion
Emma Hayes meeting Messi and Salah was never going to change how she coaches the USWNT. But it offered a rare, human glimpse of the person behind seven WSL titles, an Olympic gold medal, and a Ballon d’Or — someone who, by her own admission, still gets starstruck like everyone else when the sport’s biggest names are standing right next to her.
FAQ
Why was Emma Hayes at the men’s World Cup?
Hayes attended the men’s World Cup as a guest of honor and was invited to perform the ceremonial coin toss ahead of the July 7 round-of-16 match between Argentina and Egypt, standing alongside team captains Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah before kickoff.
What did Emma Hayes say about meeting Messi and Salah?
Hayes posted on her Instagram story that meeting Messi and Salah made her “felt like a kid again,” and later called the day unforgettable, writing in a separate post that she “just friggin love[s] football.”
Who is Emma Hayes, and what has she won as USWNT coach?
Hayes was named USWNT head coach in November 2023 and officially took over in May 2024. She led the team to Paris 2024 Olympic gold in her tenth match in charge and won the first Ballon d’Or given to a women’s soccer coach that October.
What’s next for Emma Hayes and the USWNT?
The USWNT’s next major test is the 2026 Concacaf W Championship, Nov. 27–Dec. 5 in Texas, which doubles as qualifying for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The top-seeded USWNT opens the single-elimination bracket against El Salvador.