Bafana Bafana‘s chances of qualifying for the knockout phase at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is still very much alive following the Mexico and South Korea match.
South Africa rallied from a goal down to earn themselves a hard-earned point against Czechia on Thursday evening, with Teboho Mokoena converting from the spot in the 83rd minute as the tie ended 1-1.
El Tri narrowly beat Korea 1-0 in a tense Group A clash at Guadalajara Stadium in Jalisco also yesterday to top the group.
Javier Aguirre’s side became the first team to seal their spot in the knockout stage thanks to Luis Romo’s goal in the 50th minute.
Romo capitalised on a defensive mishap after South Korea goalkeeper Kim collided with his own defender Lee Gi-hyuk and dropped the ball which allowed for Romo to easily find the net.
This also mean Mexico have already clinched the group in the head-to-head tiebreaker with South Korea ahead of their final clash with Czechia on June 24 at the Estadio Azteca.
With the top two teams from each group moving on to the knockout stages, along with the best eight third-place teams, there’s still chance for Bafana to make it out of the group for the first time ever at the global showpiece.
Hugo Broos’ charges are still rock bottom after losing 2-0 to Mexico but an upset win over the Koreans will see them move onto four points, enough to finish second in the group and advance provided the co-hosts beat Czechia.
For the first time at the World Cup, a round of 32 is being played after the tournament was expanded to 48 teams.
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