Stephen Eustaquio’s last-gasp strike earned Canada a hard-fought victory over South Africa in the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Jesse Marsch’s men will now face the Netherlands-Morocco winners at Houston Stadium.

Bafana Bafana produced some eye-catching moves in the first half at Los Angeles Stadium, but were let down by their final ball. The Reds were denied twice in succession on the whistle’s cusp, Aubrey Modiba hooking Moise Bombito’s header off the line before Ronwen Williams did brilliantly to block Tajon Buchanan.

Canada resumed control after the restart. After Tani Oluwaseyi’s shot was excellently parried by Williams, Mbekezeli Mbokazi knocked it behind before the attacker could tap in the rebound. A huge roar went up as Alphonso Davies was sent on in the 75th minute, and he threatened South Africa with his pace and trickery. It was Eustaquio who settled the contest, however, catching a bouncing ball perfectly on the edge of the box to find the bottom corner.

South Africa will go home with their heads held high, having reached the knockout phase for the first time ever. (FIFA, excluding headline)