Just a day after the group stage ended, the 2026 World Cup entered its first knockout phase, the round of 32, and the teams that kicked it off were Canada and South Africa. In a match where not much difference was established with their rival, the North Americans would achieve a hard-fought qualification to the round of 16 with a 1-0 that was decided in the final moments.
The match started without a clear dominator, with both teams making approaches to the areas that would not be effective. It was only towards the end of the first half that the first truly dangerous situation occurred, led by the North American team. In the 43rd minute, Moïse Bombito would head down the corner kick from Stephen Eustáquio, but Aubrey Modiba would clear the ball off the line, and in the resulting rebound, Ronwen Williams would block a close-range shot from Tajon Buchanan.
In the second half, South Africa would become a bit more adventurous in attack, creating a few promising opportunities, such as a shot from Oswin Appollis in the 61st minute that just went wide.
