South Africa’s national soccer team Bafana Bafana beat South Korea 1-0 in their final Group A game of the 2026 multi-hosted World Cup.
Thapelo Maseko scored the winning goal in the 63rd minute, earning Bafana Bafana a further three points which helped them secure the second position in Group A.
The team climbed six places within FIFA’s rankings and earned their place within the knockout stages, a stage Bafana Bafana has historically never reached until now.
A national outpour of love and support ensued online after a video of the players celebrating and singing Gwijo, a South African chant, in their dressing room was posted on the team’s social media.
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How has the team fared in the competition thus far?
The 2026 World Cup is the first time Bafana Bafana have competed in the competition since they hosted in 2010, where they were the first host nation to be eliminated in the group stage.
Bafana Bafana fans were thus not hopeful that the team would progress any further than the group stages after a tragic 2-0 loss against this year’s co-host Mexico in the first match of the entire tournament.
However, things took a turn when the team’s second match of the competition ended in a 1-1 draw with Czechia.
Now that the national team is heading to the knockout stage, they will face a second co-host, Canada, in the round of 32 on June 28, this time opening the knockout stage.
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Details of South Africa’s next match
This match will be the second encounter the South African soccer team will have with a current host nation.
It will take place in the US, the third host, at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
Canada finished second overall within Group B’s chart with a total of four points, and their performance mirrors South Africa’s in the group stage.
Canada’s team had performed consistently well until yesterday, when their match against Switzerland resulted in a 2-1 defeat, costing them their home-field advantage for their next match against South Africa.
Sunday’s match between South Africa and Canada will see both teams on equal footing, with a victory meaning the difference between continuing in the tournament or being sent home.
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Newsjustnews writers 
Tabitha Kongo 
Wendellyn Mateo