Predictions
June 28 Preview: Canada Host South Africa to Open the World Cup Knockouts
The Round of 32 opens with a single match on June 28: co-hosts Canada take on South Africa at SoFi Stadium. Two sides chasing a first-ever World Cup knockout win get the elimination rounds underway.
The 2026 World Cup reaches its knockout stage on Sunday, June 28 — and it starts with a single, standalone tie. Co-hosts Canada face South Africa at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (3:00 p.m. ET), the only match on the opening day of the Round of 32. It is a meeting of two nations carrying the same prize into the day: neither Canada nor South Africa has ever won a World Cup knockout match. Below are the confirmed details only — no predicted scores.
The matchup
- Canada vs South Africa
- 3:00 p.m. ET
- SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
- Round of 32 · single-elimination
How they got here
Both teams reached the last 32 as group runners-up.
Canada finished second in Group B on home soil, opening with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, then hammering Qatar 6-0, before a final-day defeat to Switzerland that cost them top spot. The co-hosts have carried a raucous home crowd through the group stage and now get a marquee Sunday slot to open the knockouts.
South Africa finished second in Group A in dramatic fashion. After a 2-0 loss to Mexico and a 1-1 draw with Czechia, Thapelo Maseko’s 63rd-minute winner in a 1-0 victory over South Korea lifted Bafana Bafana into the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in the nation’s history.
What’s at stake
This is a genuine 50-50 with history on the line. Canada are chasing a first World Cup knockout win in just their third-ever appearance at the tournament, with the added weight — and lift — of playing as co-hosts. South Africa, in the knockouts for the first time ever, arrive on a high after the late drama against South Korea. The winner books a place in the Round of 16 on July 4; the loser goes home.
The bigger picture
The Canada–South Africa winner is the first name into the last 16. From Monday, the schedule explodes — three or more ties a day through July 3, headlined by Brazil vs Japan, France vs Sweden and Portugal vs Croatia. For every confirmed tie, date and venue, see our full Round of 32 bracket, and catch up on how the field was set in the Groups J & K wrap.
Sources: ESPN, NBC Sports, Al Jazeera. Schedule and qualification details confirmed against at least two sources; no predicted scores published.