South Africa have booked a place in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in the team's history, beating South Korea in a decisive Group A clash in Monterrey. Thapelo Maseko's goal proved to be the difference, sending Bafana Bafana through while South Korea, who needed only a draw to advance, crashed out of the tournament.
How the match played out
The game was the final round of Group A fixtures. South Korea only needed a draw to reach the knockout round, while South Africa had to win to keep their tournament alive. The contest stayed tight deep into the closing minutes before Thapelo Maseko struck at the crucial moment to hand South Africa the win. That result ended South Korea's run in the group stage.
A historic first for Bafana Bafana
South Africa's national team, known as Bafana Bafana, reached the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the first time ever with this result. The win in Monterrey has been described as one of the standout moments of this edition of the tournament and one of the biggest achievements in the team's football history.
The expanded 48-team format explained
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being played in an expanded 48-team format for the first time. Under this format, the top two teams from every group advance automatically, but the best-ranked third-placed teams across all groups also earn a spot in the round of 32. That is why final group-stage matches like this one carry extra weight, since even a third-place finish can keep a team alive.
Brazil also through
On the same day as South Africa's win over South Korea, Brazil secured their own group-stage win and confirmed their place in the knockout round. With those results, the shape of the round of 32 is becoming clearer, even as the list of eliminated teams keeps growing.
Why this result was a big favor for Canada
South Africa's win did not just affect Group A. According to news reports, the result worked out well for Canada's team too, since it shifted the third-place rankings in a way that appears to work in Canada's favor heading into the knockout stage.
What happens next
The full round-of-32 schedule will take shape once the remaining group-stage matches are completed. With South Korea eliminated and South Africa and Brazil through, attention now turns to the third-place standings in the other groups, which will decide the rest of the teams joining the knockout round.
