Canada and South Africa will make history on Sunday when they meet in the round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Inglewood, California. Both teams have reached the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time, a remarkable achievement for each nation.
Canada's Path to the Knockout Round
Canada secured second place in Group B after a 2-1 loss to Switzerland on Wednesday, which dropped them from top spot and cost them the chance to play in Vancouver. Instead, they travel to Los Angeles for the round of 32. Defender Alistair Johnston acknowledged the disappointment but emphasized the bigger picture: "We would have loved to stay in Vancouver, there’s no doubt about that. At the same time, if you told me a month ago that we’re going to have qualified second place in your group, guaranteed into the knockouts, and not sitting here in third place, having to wait on results — or in fourth place, obviously knowing that you’re done — I think I would have shaken your hand for that."
South Africa's Surprise Advancement
South Africa, known as Bafana Bafana, pulled off a stunning 1-0 victory over favored South Korea on Wednesday to finish second in Group A. This came after a 2-0 loss to Mexico and a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic, making their advancement a longshot. The win lifted South Africa six spots to No. 54 in the FIFA men's world ranking, while South Korea dropped six spots to No. 31. Coach Hugo Broos said: "We were not good against Mexico and a little better against the Czechs. That meant we had to defeat Korea. There was enormous pressure on us, but we made it. We are ready for the Canadians. My team will fight for 90 minutes, and longer if necessary. Let us hope for another good result."
Broos Proud of Team's Response
The 74-year-old Belgian coach expressed pride in his team's ability to stick to the plan and improve under pressure. "I’m very proud of my team and I think we gave really a good answer to all those big mouths from previous weeks who wanted us to change things and wanted to tell us what we need to do," Broos said.
Davies Availability Uncertain
Canada captain Alphonso Davies remains a question mark. The Bayern Munich left back has not played since sustaining a hamstring injury in a Champions League semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain on May 6. Coach Jesse Marsch said before the Switzerland match that Davies was available, but he did not play, and Marsch later called it a decoy. On Thursday, when asked if Davies would return, Marsch said: "Yes. Nobody’s going to take that as anything but hyperbole, but he’s going to play." When pressed if Davies would start, Marsch replied, "We’ll see."
Mokoena Returns for South Africa
South Africa will be boosted by the return of key midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who was suspended against South Korea after accumulating yellow cards in the first two matches. Yellow cards were wiped clean after the group stage, allowing Mokoena to play.
Marsch Turns Disappointment into Positive
Marsch, who is from the United States, is trying to frame the move to Los Angeles as an advantage. He noted that many of Canada's positive results in recent years, including at the 2024 Copa America and the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, came in the US. "Obviously we wanted to stay in Canada and play in front of our fans and use all that energy, but it’s also a big mental load on our team, like being around town, people around the hotel, it’s a little bit of a circus, you know," Marsch said. "I mean, it’s one we’ve really enjoyed but I do think that going away will give us a little bit more pause and calmness around the experience and make sure that we can focus in totally on exactly what the match is, which I think will be good for us."
