Kickoff Match: South Africa vs Canada will be played on Sunday at Los Angeles Stadium, California, at noon (19:00 GMT). This is the first round of 32 tie of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Match Preview
- This is the second meeting between South Africa and Canada; their only previous encounter was a 2-0 win for South Africa in a 2007 friendly.
- Canada has lost both competitive matches against African opposition (2-0 vs Cameroon in 2001, 2-1 vs Morocco in 2022).
- According to Opta simulations, Canada wins 55% of scenarios, South Africa wins 20%, and 24.9% go to extra time. Canada has a 67.8% chance to advance, South Africa 32.2%.
Full Round of 32 Schedule
The article lists matches from Monday to Friday, including Brazil vs Japan, Germany vs Paraguay, Netherlands vs Morocco, etc.
Iran Elimination
Iran was eliminated from the tournament after Algeria drew 3-3 with Austria in the final Group J match. Algeria finished third in Group J with four points and advanced as one of the best third-placed teams, displacing Iran.
African Record
Nine African nations (Algeria, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa) have reached the round of 32, the most from the continent in a single World Cup. Tunisia was the only African side eliminated in the group stage.
Possible Messi-Ronaldo Final
Argentina and Portugal are on opposite sides of the knockout bracket, meaning Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo can only meet if both teams reach the final on July 19. A quarterfinal meeting is impossible.