Who will Canada face in Round of 16 of FIFA World Cup 2026 after beating South Africa?

Canada have reached the Round of 16 for the first time in history.

Co-hosts Canada defeat South Africa 1-0 in the opening knockout game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The game was a tight contest between both teams, who were playing in the knockout round of the World Cup for the first time in history.

From the start, Los Rouges made it clear they intended to win the game in regular time. Jesse Marsch’s men got off to an attacking start; however, the scoring opportunities were not being converted into goals. The attacking duo of Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi struggled against Hugo Broos’ physical defending.

Bafana Bafana were primarily making defensive advances in the game. Khuliso Mudau has the most defensive contributions in the whole game (15), while Ime Okon has the most touches on the ball (108). The South African side did a great job in restricting Canada from scoring in the regular time.

However, Les Rouges skipper Stephen Eustáquio finally managed to find a gap and scored from outside the box to give Canada the much-awaited lead. The 29-year-old created five chances against Bafana Bafana, the most by any player in the game.

Nevertheless, Canada’s triumph has left fans wondering about their round-of-16 rivals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Also Read: Who is Stephen Eustáquio? Canada midfielder who scored vs South Africa in FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32

Who will Canada face in the FIFA World Cup round of 16?

Les Rouges have secured a position in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup for the first time. They will be playing the pre-quarter-final game on Sunday, July 4, at the Houston Stadium in Texas.

Jesse Marsch’s men, who finished second in Group B, will face the winner of the round-of-32 clash between the Netherlands and Morocco. The Netherlands vs Morocco game will be played on Monday, June 29, at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico.

Oranje topped Group E with seven points in three games. The other three teams of the group were Japan, Sweden and Tunisia. Meanwhile, Morocco finished second in Group C, trailing only five-time champions Brazil.

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