2026 WORLD CUP ROUND OF 32 PREVIEW: South Africa

Ahead of the CanMNT's Round of 32 clash at the 2026 World Cup, Alexandre Gangue-Ruzic dives into everything you NEED to know about their opponents for that match, South Africa. 

The lowdown:

FIFA Ranking (as of June 25th): 54th 

Elo Ranking (as of June 25th): 70th 

Head coach: Hugo Broos

Number of World Cups: 4 (1998, 2002, 2010, 2026)

Best World Cup result: Round of 32 (2026)

It’s already been a historic run for South Africa at this 2026 World Cup, as Bafana Bafana have reached the knockout rounds for the first time, making the most of their first participation at this tournament since they hosted the 2010 edition.

Now, they’ll look to make more history, as they get set to take on a Canadian side that is also getting set for their first-ever knockout game at a men’s World Cup. 

Having not been given much of a chance of making it out of their group, South Africa have already proved doubters wrong once, so why not repeat the trick against the co-hosts? 

That’ll be their mission as they get set for this match, which will be played on Sunday, June 28th, in Los Angeles. 

How they got here:

It’s been a rollercoaster ride of a journey for South Africa to get to this point, one that started for them during CAF World Cup qualifiers. 

There, they managed to escape an extremely tough qualifying group that also included Nigeria and Bénin, finishing atop the group with 18 points - for context, Nigeria and Bénin each earned 17 points, showing how close that group was. Yet, thanks to the fact that South Africa won both of their games against Bénin and drew both of their matches against Nigeria, they were narrowly able to top their group and qualify automatically for this World Cup (even despite forfeiting a game against Lesotho after fielding an ineligible player). 

In hindsight, perhaps that qualifying run should’ve been a warning sign to others, showing what this team can do in high-pressure moments. 

Because of that, it feels funny to look back at how the start of this World Cup went for South Africa, as they were thoroughly outclassed by co-hosts Mexico in the opening game of this tournament, which came at the famed Estadio Azteca. Not only did they lose that game 2-0 (a scoreline that flattered them, to be honest), but they earned two red cards in what was a very disappointing performance from them. 

Then, things went from bad to worse in their second game of Group A action, as they quickly went down 1-0 to Czechia early in that clash, putting them back behind the eight-ball once again.

There, though, is where the momentum started to shift for them. Despite that slow start to the Czechia game, they managed to turn things around and earn a draw, one that proved to be quite valuable for them. 

Because of that, they entered their last game against South Korea still capable of not just advancing to the knockout stage, but with the possibility of doing so as a second-place qualifier - had they not earned that equalizer against Czechia, their best hopes of qualifying in that last game would’ve been as a third-place finisher. 

Knowing that, they came out flying against South Korea, and their approach eventually paid off, as they managed to grind out an impressive 1-0 win after a 63rd-minute winner from Thapelo Maseko. 

Thanks to that result, as well as the fact that Czechia lost to Mexico in their final match, that pushed South Africa to finish second in the group, setting up this date against Canada in the Round of 32. 

How they’ll play:

Preferred formation: 4-2-3-1

The big reason why South Africa is still alive in this tournament? The adjustments they made after the Mexico game, as they decided not to stick with the 5-3-2 they experimented with in that opening match. 

Why they chose to use that 5-3-2 against Mexico when they’ve typically preferred to use a 4-2-3-1 over the last year is a question that might forever remain unanswered, but the fact of the matter is that they went back to that 4-2-3-1 (which sometimes operates as a 4-4-2) for their matches against Czechia and South Korea, and were able to get positive results off the back of that. 

A big reason for that, however, is due to their defensive structure, as well as their new set-up in possession. 

Against Mexico, they were far too exposed on the flanks, which allowed Mexico to overwhelm them with overloads. At the same time, they were also quite thin in midfield, which meant that they struggled to find any control centrally, either. 

You add in the fact that the 5-3-2 also made them a lot weaker in possession, as they were unable to offer adequate support to their own players on the ball (which is why they got caught on the ball for Mexico’s first goal), and that formation choice proved to be an unmitigated disaster. 

By comparison, in the 4-2-3-1, they’ve been a lot tougher to break down without the ball, and a lot more dangerous on it. 

Defensively, they’ve been able to sit in a compact mid-block, one where they were able to deny space centrally for their opponents. Against Czechia, they chose to sit in more of a 4-2-3-1, as they asked their #10 to tightly mark Czechia’s lone central midfield pivot, while against South Korea, they defended in more of a true 4-4-2, helping them deny supply to South Korea’s midfield double-pivot thanks to careful screening from their two strikers. 

Then, on the ball, South Africa has been a lot more dangerous thanks to this formation switch. They don’t have an overly complex build-up shape, but thanks to the insertion of their double-pivot, the way that their #10 drops between lines, and the width provided by their wingers, their spacing is much better. 

Plus, this current set-up helps them play a lot more directly if needed, as they’ve got players to support their attackers if they go long, as both their wingers and #10 can get close to their striker on those long balls. By comparison, in that 5-3-2, they struggled to support their two strikers when they got the ball to them, with the midfielders and wing-backs often finding themselves pinned back and unable to get up the pitch quickly enough to give them support. 

Yet, what all that shows is why South Africa will feel capable of causing problems to Canada now that they’ve steadied their ship tactically. 

They’ve proven capable of sitting back and absorbing pressure, averaging 45.8% of possession in the group stage, and have typically found themselves in low-event games, having averaged just 1.25 xG per game (on an average of 11 shots), while conceding 1.11 xG (conceding an average of 11 shots) - and their xG is boosted by the fact that they had a penalty against Czechia (#s via WyScout). 

As a result, expect them to sit back and play rather cautiously against Canada, as they’ll dare them to break them down - something that this Canadian team hasn’t always been great at doing, one must remember. 

Players to watch:

South Africa have brought an interesting mix of players to this tournament, as they’ve got a near-perfect split between young and old in their squad. That’s reflected in the fact that they’ve got seven players over 30 in the squad, and eight players 23 or younger, showing that they’ve been able to strike a good balance between experience and inexperience. 

It is worth noting that this team has just three players with more than 50 caps, and 10 players with more than 20 caps, as they haven’t had as much time together as some of the other sides in this tournament, which is why this run will be so beneficial for them. 

At the same time, what they lack in familiarity in terms of caps with the Bafana Bafana, they do make up for in terms of the chemistry they’ve got from the fact that 19 players in this squad come from the South African league (including eight apiece from both the Mamelodi Sundowns and the Orlando Pirates) - otherwise, five of their other players come from Europe, and two from MLS. 

In goal, Ronwen Williams leads the way as the team’s captain, and the former African goalkeeper of the year has done well to build off a CAF Champions League-winning season with the Mamelodi Sundowns, making six saves, preventing 0.2 goals and keeping one clean sheet across three games at this World Cup. 

Meanwhile, at the back, Khuliso Mudau has been a reliable option at right back, playing every minute of group stage action for his side. Not only has he been solid defensively, making seven tackles, seven interceptions, 11 clearances, 20 recoveries and winning 63.6% of his duels, but he’s had a decent impact offensively, completing 93.5% of his passes and generating 0.31 xA off the one chance he’s created. 

Moving up the pitch, Teboho Mokoena is expected to be a key piece in midfield, especially after missing the South Korea match due to yellow card accumulation (he played 90 minutes in both of South Africa’s first two matches). He’s a solid all-around option, as shown by the fact that he scored the crucial penalty against Czechia (and is tied for the second-most South Africa goals among players in this World Cup squad) and has created six chances offensively, while also winning 55.6% of his duels and adding two tackles, four interceptions, and 12 recoveries defensively, in his two games of action.

Lastly, up front, Thapelo Maseko is a name to watch, as the young winger is fresh off scoring the massive goal against South Korea that pushed this South Africa side to second-place in Group A. A newer face to this team, one that only has nine caps, he did well to slot into the lineup for the second game after not featuring at all in South Africa’s tournament opener - now, you have to imagine he starts against vs. Canada after taking eight shots (worth 0.53 xG), winning seven fouls and taking eight touches in the opposition box in the 159 minutes he played across the two starts he had in the group stage.

Player statistics via FotMob. 

Tournament expectations:

The objective was simple for South Africa at this World Cup - make it to the knockout rounds. Given that they had a pretty favourable draw, there was no reason why they couldn’t dream of getting out of the group as a top third-place team at the very least - that they were able to qualify as a second-place team is a bonus. 

Now, though, they’re playing with house money. On paper, Canada will be significant favourites to win this game, which will benefit South Africa massively, as they won’t carry that same pressure to win - and that’s without considering the extra weight that Canada carries as co-hosts of this tournament. 

As many will tell you, that South Africa has nothing to lose only makes them all the more dangerous - often, teams who have nothing to lose can often be primed to surprise. You add in the fact that this team has built up momentum throughout this tournament, as they’re peaking at the perfect time after a slow start, and they’ll feel confident that they can upset this Canadian side and qualify for the Round of 16, further adding to the history that they’ve already achieved in this tournament. 

One big question:

Will South Africa be able to limit mistakes in possession?

As mentioned earlier, a big issue for South Africa in their tournament opener was that they were extremely sloppy in possession, which gifted a goal, along with some other key chances, to Mexico. 

Against a Canadian team that loves to press high up the pitch, they have to be very careful and make sure that they avoid making similar mistakes, as they will be severely punished for it. Because of that, don’t be surprised if they play more directly, an approach that could pay off when seeing the way that Canada struggled to defend long balls in their last group stage game against Switzerland.