Bafana Bafana enter new ground when they meet Canada in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32. Hypothetically speaking, which five teams must they beat to win the thing?
The Road to World Cup glory is never a simple one
Bafana will be finalising preparations for their round of 32 meeting with Canada in Los Angeles. Kickoff is on Sunday, 28 June at 21:00 SA time. If we cast a clairvoyant eye into the future, with tongue in cheek, we can make some predictions about how things might go in the latter stages.
Confirmed World Cup Round of 32
- South Africa vs Canada: Sun 28 Jun, 21:00
- Brazil vs Japan: Mon 29 Jun, 19:00
- Germany vs Paraguay: Mon, 29 Jun, 22:30
- Netherlands vs Morocco: Tue 30 Jun, 03:00
- Ivory Coast vs Norway: Tue 30 Jun, 19:00
- France vs Sweden: Tue 30 Jun, 23:00
- Mexico vs Ecuador: Wed 1 Jul, 03:00
- England vs DR Congo: Wed 1 Jul, 18:00
- Belgium vs Senegal: Wed 1 Jul, 22:00
- USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina: Thu 2 Jul, 02:00
- Spain vs Austria: Thu 2 Jul, 21:00
- Portugal vs Croatia: Fri 3 Jul, 01:00
- Switzerland vs Algeria: Fri 3 Jul, 05:00
- Australia vs Egypt: Fri 3 Jul, 20:00
- Argentina vs Cabo Verde: Sat 4 Jul, 00:00
- Colombia vs Ghana: Sat 4 Jul, 03:30
Potential Round of 16
- Germany v France
- South Africa vs Morocco
- Portugal vs Spain
- USA vs Belgium
- Japan vs Norway
- Ecuador vs England
- Argentina vs Egypt
- Switzerland vs Ghana
Potential QFs
- France vs South Africa
- Spain vs Belgium
- Norway vs England
- Argentina vs Ghana
A potential look at the SFs
- France vs Spain
- Argentina vs England
Potential Final
A rematch of 2022’s stunning showpiece when Argentina beat France is still very much on the cards, but football is played on a pitch, not paper.
If Bafana wants to go all the way, they’d potentially need to beat Canada, Morocco, France, Spain and Argentina to get it done. Impossible is nothing. One game at a time, though, starting with Canada.
Mbokazi and Mofokeng are wanted men
Meanwhile, Premier League side Nottingham Forest wants our outstanding 20-year-old defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi, and Rele Mofokeng could also be on the move to Germany. The World Cup has been a great shop window for South Africa’s finest players.
Realistically, how far do you expect Bafana to progress at the World Cup?
