Canada faces South Africa as World Cup knockout stage begins

The knockout stage of the World Cup kicked off at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles with a historic encounter between Canada and South Africa. Neither nation had ever advanced to the knockout rounds of a World Cup before this match, ensuring that the winner would secure their country's first-ever knockout victory in tournament history.

Canada booked their place in the Round of 32 as the runners-up of Group B. Their group-stage campaign included a draw against Bosnia, a dominant 6–0 victory over Qatar, and a defeat against Switzerland. South Africa qualified after finishing second in Group A. The Proteas bounced back from an opening-match loss to Mexico, drew with the Czech Republic, and secured their knockout berth with a crucial 1–0 win over South Korea in their final group fixture.

South Africa head coach Hugo Broos welcomed back Teboho Mokoena to the starting lineup after the midfielder missed the previous match due to a yellow card suspension. However, Themba Zwane remained unavailable as he continued to serve his suspension for a red card.

Canada received a major boost with the return of star player Alphonso Davies. The fullback missed the entirety of the group stage due to a hamstring injury, and his return significantly strengthens the Canadian attack.

The Canadians will also rely heavily on forward Jonathan David, who has already netted three goals in this tournament. David enters the match as Canada's all-time leading goalscorer, with 39 goals in 77 international appearances.

Statistical analysts favor Canada for this clash, giving them a 56 percent chance of victory compared to South Africa's 20 percent. The winner of this match will advance to the Round of 16 in Houston, where they will face the winner of the upcoming fixture between the Netherlands and Morocco.