2026 World Cup: South Africa Make History, Reach Knockout Stage for First Time
South Africa secured a historic place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over South Korea on Wednesday.
Bafana Bafana completed a remarkable turnaround after suffering a heavy defeat and two red cards against hosts Mexico in their opening match. They bounced back with a dramatic late win before sealing qualification with another crucial victory.
The decisive moment came in the 63rd minute when Thapelo Maseko fired a superb left-footed shot into the bottom corner after being picked out by Moremi. The goal lifted South Africa above South Korea into second place in the group.
The achievement is particularly significant as South Africa had failed to progress beyond the group stage in their previous World Cup appearances in 1998, 2002 and 2010.
Captain Ronwen Williams revealed that criticism before the tournament helped motivate the team.
“Everybody was against us. We used that as energy to fight today. It’s amazing what we achieved,” Williams said.
South Korea started brightly and almost took the lead inside two minutes, but Kim Min-jae’s header was cleared off the line by Aubrey Modiba. Lee Kang-in also went close shortly afterwards as the Koreans dominated the early exchanges.
South Africa gradually settled into the contest and nearly broke the deadlock in the 19th minute when Maseko raced through on goal, only for Lee Gi-hyuk to make a crucial last-ditch tackle.
South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu then produced an excellent double save to deny Thalente Mbatha and Evidence Makgopa before the break.
Despite creating few chances in the second half, South Africa found the breakthrough through Maseko’s clinical finish, a goal that ultimately secured a famous victory.
The result sends Bafana Bafana into the knockout phase for the first time in their history. They will now face Canada with another piece of history on the line and a place in the last 16 up for grabs.
South Korea, meanwhile, remain in contention to qualify as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams, but they will be left wondering what might have been after failing to take their chances.
