Overview
The South African team made history at the 2026 World Cup when they first qualified for the round of 32. Now, coach Hugo Broos and his team are facing the opportunity to continue writing a fairy tale with a ticket to the round of 16.
Bafana Bafana" started the tournament unsuccessfully with a 0-2 defeat to Mexico and seemed to stop soon. However, they quickly regained their spirits with a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic, before defeating South Korea 1-0 in the final match to win a ticket to the next round.
With 4 points after 3 matches, South Africa finished the group stage in second place in Group A, 1 point ahead of South Korea and will face co-host Canada in the round of 32.
Previously, "Bafana Bafana" had only met Canada once. That was a 2-0 victory in a friendly match in November 2007. Therefore, this will be the first time the two teams have faced each other in an official tournament.
The winning team in this match will meet the Netherlands or Morocco in the round of 16, before having the opportunity to face strong candidates such as France or Germany in the quarterfinals.
On the other side, Canada also participated in the knockout round of a World Cup for the first time. However, the North American representative missed the opportunity to win the top spot in Group B after a 1-2 defeat to Switzerland in the final match.
If they maintain the top spot in the group, Canada will have a significant advantage when they only have to face Algeria in the round of 32. Instead, the defeat to Switzerland caused them to drop to second place in the group, although they had previously made a strong impression with a 6-0 victory over Qatar.
Coach Jesse Marsch's team also won 4 points after 3 matches. They started their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia & Herzegovina - who then advanced as one of the third-placed teams with the best results.
Canada is still rated slightly higher before the confrontation with South Africa, but they will need to significantly improve their performance if they want to go far at the 2026 World Cup.
The match in Los Angeles also marked a memorable milestone. Canada will become the first co-host country in World Cup history to have to play a match in the knockout round outside its territory, specifically in the United States.
Personnel situation
South Africa will welcome Teboho Mokoena's return in the match against Canada after the 29-year-old midfielder completed a one-match suspension in the match against South Korea.
Meanwhile, Themba Zwane is still unable to play due to serving a suspension after receiving a red card in the opening match against Mexico.
Mokoena's return is likely to be the only change in Broos' starting lineup, as he is expected to replace Yaya Sithole. In attack, Evidence Makgopa is likely to continue to lead.
On the Canadian side, Ismael Kone is definitely absent after breaking his tibia in the match against Qatar. Meanwhile, Stephen Eustaquio (muscular injury) and Alfie Jones (not yet in the best physical condition) will undergo a medical examination before kick-off to determine their ability to play.
Alphonso Davies has not yet played at the 2026 World Cup due to a hamstring injury. However, the Bayern Munich defender is said to be able to return from the bench.
Expected lineup:
South Africa: Williams, Mudau, Mbokazi, Okon, Modiba, Mbatha, Mokoena, Maseko, Mofokeng, Appollis, Makgopa.
Canada: Crepeau, Johnston, De Fougerolles, Cornelius, Laryea, Buchanan, Eustaquio, Saliba, Ahmed, David, Larin.
The match between South Africa and Canada takes place at 2:00 AM on June 29 (Vietnam time).
