South Africa will face tournament co-hosts Canada in the Round of 32 of FIFA World Cup 2026 after securing a historic place in the knockout stages for the first time.
Bafana Bafana booked their place in the last 32 with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over South Korea on Wednesday, ending years of World Cup disappointment following group-stage exits in 1998, 2002 and 2010.
At the time of publishing, South Africa are one of 13 nations to have booked their spots in the Round of 32, while seven countries have been eliminated.
Match on neutral soil
Coach Hugo Broos and his players will now travel to Los Angeles for Sunday, 28 June’s clash against the Canadians, a fixture many view as one of the more favourable draws available in the knockout phase.
Kick-off at the SoFi Stadium in California is at 21:00 (SA time).
While Canada will no doubt enjoy strong support as tournament co-hosts, the match will be played in the United States rather than on Canadian soil, reducing any home-ground advantage.
Considering how American sports fans in general loathe their neighbours north of the border, don’t be surprised if the neutrals back Bafana Bafana.
In addition, Canada are a lowly 31st in the latest FIFA rankings – worse that the South Korean side South Africa beat to reach the knockout stages.
Only a die-hard football fan could name a single Canadian player at the tournament, let alone which club he plays for.
One previous encounter
The two nations have met only once before when South Africa defeated Canada 2-0 in an international friendly at the then ABSA Stadium in Durban on 20 November 2007.
Teko Modise scored both goals (40th and 45th minutes), the second of which came from the penalty spot.
Hugo Broos sticks with his plan
Broos has insisted his side will not abandon the approach that carried them into the knockout rounds.
“I’m very proud of the performance of my team, and I think we gave an answer to all those big mouths of the last weeks that thought that we had to change something,” the 74-year-old Belgian mentor said after the victory over South Korea.
“We just did what we did. We just did what I wanted to do and this is the result.”
READ | Hugo Broos extends stay as Bafana Bafana coach
Hungry for history
The veteran coach believes his players remain hungry to create more history.
“I just know that the players will be ready again and try to achieve the third round (last 16). It should be even more historic. But those players are chasing those things.
“Those players want to prove to everyone and to show that they are a good team. So we will see next Sunday if we can go further.”
With confidence growing and momentum building, South Africa now stand just one victory away from reaching the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time in the nation’s history.
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