If Canada fans went to bed early on Wednesday night and expected to see a date with South Korea confirmed in the Round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup when they got up, they awoke to a surprise.
South Africa, not South Korea, would be Canada’s opponents on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles. The Bafana Bafana upset the Taegeuk Warriors, 1-0, on the back of a 63rd-minute goal from Thapelo Maseka to advance as runners-up from Group A.
In South Korea, Canada would have had an opponent with some recognizable stars. Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-min is a global icon. Winger Lee Kang-in just won back-to-back Champions League titles with Paris Saint-Germain. Centre-back Kim Min-jae has patrolled the Bayern Munich backline for the past three seasons as a teammate of Alphonso Davies.
In 60th-ranked South Africa, Canada faces off with a mostly unheralded squad led by 74-year-old manager Hugo Broos, who’s been in the role since 2021. The win over South Korea made the former Belgium defender the oldest gaffer to ever win a match at a World Cup. With previous stints at Cameroon, Trabzonspor and Anderlecht over a nearly 40-year managerial career, Broos has indicated his end is near.
“We came here to Mexico and we wanted to survive the group stage… and that for me was really a moment of emotions, not only because we won the game, but also for me, because as I’ve said in the past it probably will be one of my last games of my career,” Broos said after Wednesday night’s game.
There is no Lucas Radebe, Steven Pienaar or Benni McCarthy on this squad. A vast majority of the Bafana Bafana plays in the South African Premiership. Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns account for eight players each. Five players come from Europe and two are in Major League Soccer. The best-known player on the squad is likely forward Lyle Foster, who has spent the past four seasons at Burnley.
Still, Canada should sleep on South Africa at their own peril. In CAF qualifying, the Bafana Bafana topped their group to earn a direct berth to the World Cup, finishing ahead of perennial African giants Nigeria who feature the likes of Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi.
While South Africa was officially credited with two losses in qualifying, only one was on the pitch, a 2-0 loss to Rwanda all the way back in the fall of 2023. The other defeat, officially listed as a 3-0 loss, to Lesotho in March of 2025, was due to the Bafana Bafana fielding an ineligible player. The loss was retroactive, with South Africa having actually won the match, 2-0.
While the Bafana Bafana’s performances at the World Cup have not been convincing, with the team looking especially discombobulated during a 2-0 loss to Mexico in the tournament’s opening match, South Africa was a deserved winner against South Korea.
Veteran goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has been competent when called upon over the three games. Hanover 96 defender Ime Okon, maybe the team’s standout performer throughout the group stage, has grown with confidence as the tournament has gone on and looks comfortable anchoring the backline. Sent off in the loss to Mexico, Yaya Sithole returned to action with a composed 90 minutes to stabilize the midfield.
Like Canada, South Africa will be playing in the knockout round for the first time on Sunday in this, their fourth World Cup appearance, and first since hosting the tournament in 2010. While that World Cup began with a famous 2-1 win over France, a 3-0 loss to Uruguay on the final matchday of the group stage handed South Africa an unwanted first. With the defeat, the Bafana Bafana became the first host nation to fail to reach the knockout round at a World Cup.
Sunday’s match will be just the second time that Canada and South Africa have faced off. Their lone previous encounter was a 2007 friendly in Durban. The Bafana Bafana were 2-0 winners over Canada on a brace from Teko Modise. Among those who took the field that day for Canada were current assistant manager Paul Stalteri and TSN World Cup panelist Atiba Hutchinson.
Things won’t get any easier for the winner of Sunday’s match. The victors will leave Los Angeles for Houston on July 4 where they will meet the winners of Monday’s match between heavyweights the Netherlands and Morocco in the Round of 16.
