World Cup 2026: Canada, South Africa Set for Historic First Knockout Clash

Co-hosts Canada and South Africa are set to make history on Sunday when they face each other in the opening fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage.

The Round of 32 encounter at the iconic SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles marks the first time either nation has progressed beyond the group stage at football’s biggest tournament.

South Africa became one of nine African nations to qualify for the knockout rounds, making Africa the biggest beneficiary of the expanded 48-team World Cup format.

Bafana Bafana recovered impressively after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Mexico in their opening match before securing a crucial 1-0 victory over South Korea to seal qualification.

Canada also advanced to the knockout stage for the first time despite losing 2-1 to Switzerland in their final Group B fixture, a result that denied them top spot and forced them to travel to the United States for the next phase.

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch believes the return of Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies could provide the boost his side needs.

Davies missed the entire group stage because of a hamstring injury but is now available for selection.

“Now that we have Alphonso back and healthy and ready to perform, I think it’s a big moment for the team and a big boost for the team,” Marsch said.

“He’s a big X factor for us.

“Being on the pitch, the belief they have in him, the belief he has in himself, I think changes the possibility of what the potential of our team is and what we can do in this tournament.”

South Africa coach Hugo Broos said reaching the knockout rounds already represented a major achievement but insisted his team was determined to go further.

“We can say already now that the World Cup is a success for us,” Broos said.

“That doesn’t mean we are satisfied. Once you are there, you want more, and we want to win the game tomorrow.”

Elsewhere, DR Congo secured their first-ever World Cup victory by defeating Uzbekistan 3-1 to book a Round of 32 meeting with England.

Defending champions Argentina also maintained their perfect record after Lionel Messi scored his sixth goal of the tournament in a 3-1 victory over Jordan, setting up a knockout clash against surprise package Cape Verde.