South Africa’s World Cup campaign looked close to dead after one bruising night against Mexico.
By Advent Shoko
Bafana Bafana lost 2-0 in their opening Group A match, picked up two red cards, collected yellow cards and looked like a side that might spend the rest of the tournament chasing damage control rather than history. Two games later, they are in the round of 32 for the first time ever.
A disciplined 1-0 win over South Korea in Monterrey early Thursday morning sealed one of the biggest nights in South African football history, sending Hugo Broos’ side into the knockout stage and turning a shaky start into a story of nerve, recovery and belief.
South Africa went into the match as underdogs and without suspended midfielder Teboho Mokoena who is serving a suspension after accumulating enough yellow cards, but found a way when it mattered most. Thapelo Maseko’s 63rd-minute strike was enough to send Bafana through as Group A runners-up behind Mexico, who completed a perfect group campaign with a 3-0 win over Czechia. South Africa will now face co-hosts Canada in the round of 32 on Sunday, June 28.
The scale of the turnaround makes the story bigger. South Africa had taken just one point from their first two matches, yet delivered one of their most mature performances of the tournament. Broos’ men stayed compact, disciplined and patient, refusing to panic before Maseko finally broke the deadlock.
The result also underlined Broos’ work with a side many had stopped believing in after failing to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. He has rebuilt confidence, sharpened identity and now guided South Africa to a landmark feat as the first Southern African nation to reach the men’s World Cup knockout stage.
South Africa’s breakthrough capped a strong spell for African sides, with Morocco continuing their impressive run a few hours earlier. The Atlas Lions came from behind twice to beat Haiti 4-2 and secure second place in Group C behind Brazil on goal difference, finishing level on seven points with the South Americans.
Morocco’s win carried more than qualification value. Ismael Saibari became the first African player to score in all three group matches at a World Cup, while the North Africans extended their continental records to 26 World Cup goals and seven wins.
Together, the two results gave Africa a timely lift, even if, ironically, these are not the two teams currently enjoying universal support across the continent. South Africa’s run has unfolded against the backdrop of anti-immigrant anger back home, including the “Abahambe” rhetoric and the June 30 march push calling for the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals. Morocco, meanwhile, continue to catch stray bullets over lingering resentment around the 2025 AFCON controversy, with some supporters still unhappy over CAF’s decision to award them the title months after Senegal had beaten them in the final.
That is what makes this moment even more interesting. Two teams facing scepticism and off-field resentment are, for now, carrying Africa’s flag deepest into the tournament, while some of the continent’s more fancied sides have stumbled through draws, defeats and dropped points.
World Cup results
- Panama 0-1 Croatia
- Colombia 1-0 DR Congo
- Switzerland 2-1 Canada
- Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 Qatar
- Morocco 4-2 Haiti
- Scotland 0-3 Brazil
- South Africa 1-0 South Korea
- Czechia 0-3 Mexico
Upcoming fixtures
- Curaçao vs Côte d’Ivoire – 10pm
- Ecuador vs Germany – 10pm
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