Canada has secured their spot in the round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup after beating South Africa in the knockout stage.
On Sunday, June 28, the co-hosts faced South Africa at LA Stadium, where the team scored a goal in the second half and won the game with a 1-0 score.
The game was the first time for both teams to be playing in the knockout stage of the World Cup.
Stephen Eustáquio scored a nail-biting goal in the 92nd minute to give Canada a much-needed edge over South Africa as the Jesse Marsch side advanced into the World Cup top 16 for the first time in its history.
Eustaquio received the ball on the edge of the South Africa penalty area and powered it past diving goalkeeper Ronwen Williams in a thrilling conclusion to the first knockout-round match of the World Cup.
Stephen Eustáquio opens up about the match-winning goal
“We just kept believing, we kept pushing and I think we couldn’t have imagined it any other way,” Eustaquio said.
He added, "It was an amazing goal. When I shot it, I felt everybody shot it with me. Everybody put a little bit of power on it, and it went to the back of the net, so I’m very happy."
Canada's 2026 World Cup run
Canada kicked off their 2026 World Cup journey with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina and won their first match against Qatar with a 6-0 lead in their group matches.
They advanced to the knockout stage despite falling 2-1 to Switzerland in the group-stage finale.
Is the South Africa coach retiring?
The match marked the World Cup finale for 74-year-old South Africa coach Hugo Broosand, potentially bringing down the curtain on a career spanning more than five decades as both a player and manager.
"I will see in the next days what I will do for the future," he said.
"For sure, this is my last World Cup," he noted.
World Cup round of 32 schedule
Following Canada's clash against South Africa, three games are scheduled for Monday, June 29, including Brazil vs Japan (Houston Stadium), Germany vs Paraguay (Boston Stadium) and Netherlands vs Morocco (Monterrey Stadium), the winner of which will face Canada.
Three more matches are set to take place on June 30: Ivory Coast vs Norway (Dallas Stadium), France vs Sweden (New York/New Jersey Stadium) and Mexico vs Ecuador (Mexico City Stadium).
England vs DR Congo (Atlanta Stadium), Belgium vs Senegal (Seattle Stadium) and USA vs Bosnia (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium) are set for Wednesday, July 1, to battle for the round of 16 position.
Moreover, fans will enjoy games, including Spain vs Austria (LA Stadium), Portugal vs Croatia (Toronto Stadium) and Switzerland vs Algeria (BC Place, Vancouver) on Thursday, July 2.
The final matches for the round of 16 will take place on Friday, July 3, as Australia will face Egypt in Dallas Stadium; Argentina will clash with the 2026 World Cup miracle team Cape Verde in Miami Stadium; and Colombia will take on Ghana in Kansas City Stadium.
Canada will next face either the Netherlands or Morocco on July 4 in Houston for a place in the quarterfinal
