The final matches of Groups A, B and C of the 2026 World Cup have created many notable developments, and officially determined the first match in the round of 16. After the results taken on June 25, South Africa will face co-host Canada in the knockout round.
Mexico continued to show strength when defeating the Czech Republic 3-0 to close the group stage with the top spot in Group A. In the match at the same time, South Africa surprised when they defeated South Korea with a score of 1-0.
This result helped the African representative rise to second place in the group, while South Korea lost the advantage and had to wait for the results of other groups to hope to win a ticket to the next round as one of the third-placed teams with the best results.
In Group B, Switzerland defeated Canada 2-1 to take the top spot in the group. Despite the defeat, Canada still maintained second place with 4 points after three matches and won the right to participate in the round of 16.
In the remaining match, Bosnia & Herzegovina defeated Qatar 3-1, thereby finishing in third place and winning a ticket to the next round thanks to being in the group of third-placed teams with the best results.
In Group C, Brazil affirmed their strength with a 3-0 victory over Scotland to win the group first. Meanwhile, Morocco defeated Haiti 4-2, thereby following Selecao into the round of 16 with the second place in the group.
According to the draw of the tournament, the runner-up of Group A will meet the runner-up of Group B in the 1/16 round. Therefore, South Africa and Canada become the first matches to be determined in the knockout round of the 2026 World Cup.
This confrontation promises to be balanced as South Africa is in high spirits after the decisive victory over South Korea, while Canada possesses home advantage and explosive attack.
