South Africa will make history on Sunday, June 28, from 10:00 PM EAT when they face Canada in their first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout match as the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 gets underway.

Bafana Bafana secured their place in the knockout stage after finishing second in Group A with four points, following a 2-0 defeat to Mexico, a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic and a 1-0 victory over South Korea. The campaign marked South Africa’s first appearance at the World Cup in 16 years and their maiden qualification for the knockout rounds.

Now, standing between South Africa and an unprecedented place in the quarter-finals is a Canadian side also venturing into unfamiliar territory.

Speaking ahead of the clash, South Africa head coach Hugo Broos described the tournament as a success for his side but insisted they are targeting more.

“I can’t deny that in these five years, the team didn’t progress and that I didn’t change something in South Africa. In the beginning it was very difficult. Everyone said Bafana Bafana is a joke. People didn’t really understand what I was doing,” Broos said.

He added: “We can already say now that the World Cup is a success for us. Everybody expected and hoped that we’d reach the second round and we did. This is important. But that doesn’t mean that we are happy now and that we just play the game tomorrow and go home. Once you are there, you want more.”

The Round of 32, which runs from June 28 to July 4, features the top two teams from each of the 12 groups alongside the eight best third-placed sides. African football has also reached a milestone, with a record nine nations advancing to the knockout stage.

Among the standout fixtures are Brazil against Japan, the Netherlands taking on Morocco, England facing DR Congo, Portugal meeting Croatia, Belgium playing Senegal, and France clashing with Sweden.

The tournament will then move to the Round of 16 from July 4 to July 7, followed by the quarter-finals from July 9 to July 11, the semi-finals on July 14 and 15, the third-place playoff on July 18 and the final on July 19.

2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 Fixtures (EAT)

Sunday, June 28

South Africa vs Canada – 10:00 PM (Los Angeles Stadium, USA)

Monday, June 29

Brazil vs Japan – 8:00 PM (NRG Stadium, Houston)

Germany vs Paraguay – 11:30 PM (Boston Stadium)

Tuesday, June 30

Netherlands vs Morocco – 4:00 AM (Estadio BBVA, Monterrey)

Ivory Coast vs Norway – 8:00 PM (Dallas Stadium)

Wednesday, July 1

France vs Sweden – 12:00 AM (New York New Jersey Stadium)

Mexico vs Ecuador – 4:00 AM (Estadio Azteca)

England vs DR Congo – 7:00 PM (Atlanta Stadium)

Belgium vs Senegal – 11:00 PM (Seattle Stadium)

Thursday, July 2

USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina – 3:00 AM (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium)

Spain vs Austria – 10:00 PM (Los Angeles Stadium)

Friday, July 3

Portugal vs Croatia – 2:00 AM (Toronto Stadium)

Switzerland vs Algeria – 6:00 AM (BC Place, Vancouver)

Australia vs Egypt – 9:00 PM (Dallas Stadium)

Saturday, July 4

Argentina vs Cabo Verde – 1:00 AM (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami)

Colombia vs Ghana – 4:30 AM (Kansas City Stadium)