South Africa’s 2026 FIFA World Cup: History made with round of 32 place

[p]The 2026 FIFA World Cup was the [b]fourth tournament[/b] overall for Bafana Bafana, who also appeared in [a href="https://www.flashscore.com/football/world/world-cup-1998/#/ObJudGJH/standings/" target="_blank"]1998[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.com/football/world/world-cup-2002/" target="_blank"]2002[/a], but before the 2026 finals had yet to advance past the [b]group stages[/b]. In each of their three previous appearances, they finished third in their pool.[/p][p]Bafana's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/mexico-O6iHcNkd/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/?mid=h4EoUB7T"]2-0[/a] opening defeat to Mexico dampened the mood in the South Africa camp, but they bounced back with a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/czech-republic-6LHwBDGU/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/?mid=8nrACRTs"]1-1[/a] draw against the Czech Republic and then got one of their best World Cup results yet with a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/south-korea-K6Gs7P6G/?mid=4rr4ngNc"]1-0[/a] victory over South Korea. [/p][p]That set up a round of 32 fixture against Canada in Los Angeles, but they fell short in a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/canada-x4toKORL/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/?mid=EZmXxG15"]1-0[/a] defeat following a late winner for their opponents.[/p][p]They are a competitive team made up mostly of home-based players, but the step up in quality from what they usually face has been huge.[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-africa/W2ijYvlr/"]South Africa[/a]’s World Cup 2026 schedule and results[/h2][p]During the FIFA World Cup draw in December 2025, Bafana Bafana were drawn into Group A with co-hosts [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mexico/O6iHcNkd/"]Mexico[/a][/b], [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-korea/K6Gs7P6G/"]South Korea[/a][/b] and [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/czech-republic/6LHwBDGU/"]Czech Republic[/a][/b].[/p][p]South Africa’s full FIFA World Cup schedule is as follows:[/p][p][b]Thursday, June 11: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/mexico-O6iHcNkd/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/?mid=h4EoUB7T"]Mexico vs South Africa[/a], Azteca Stadium, Mexico City ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/mexico-O6iHcNkd/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/?mid=h4EoUB7T"]2-0[/a])[/b][/p][p][b]Thursday, June 18: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/czech-republic-6LHwBDGU/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/?mid=8nrACRTs"]Czech Republic vs South Africa[/a], Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/czech-republic-6LHwBDGU/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/?mid=8nrACRTs"]1-1[/a])[/b][/p][p][b]Wednesday, June 24: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/south-korea-K6Gs7P6G/?mid=4rr4ngNc"]South Africa vs South Korea[/a], Estadio BBVA, Monterrey ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/south-korea-K6Gs7P6G/?mid=4rr4ngNc"]1-0[/a])[/b][/p][p][b]Sunday, June 28: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/canada-x4toKORL/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/?mid=EZmXxG15"]Canada vs South Africa[/a], Los Angeles Stadium ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/canada-x4toKORL/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/?mid=EZmXxG15"]1-0[/a])[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.com/news/soccer-fifa-world-cup-2026-full-schedule-calendar/IDzk9Epn/" target="_blank"]Check out the full 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule in our article HERE >[/a][/b][/p][embed guid="7cdc0daa-3432-4785-83d9-f6d931f8cdce" url="https://x.com/BafanaBafana/status/2069100709048385566" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Where did South Africa play their World Cup games?[/h2][p]They say there are two games you want to play in at the FIFA World Cup: the [b]opening match[/b] and the [b]final[/b]. South Africa had one of those, with the chances of both extremely remote.[/p][p]Their opening clash against co-hosting [b]Mexico[/b] took place at the famed [b]Azteca Stadium[/b], a venue already steeped in World Cup folklore and which has recently completed renovations to add capacity ahead of the 2026 tournament.[/p][p]With the renovations, the stadium has increased its capacity from 83,000 to [b]87,500[/b], adding a new sound system, two video screens, new changing rooms and a hybrid pitch.[/p][p]It was on the pitch at the cavernous venue that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maradona-diego/2oVZGPyM/"]Diego Maradona[/a] stuck out his forearm to steer in the infamous “Hand of God” goal against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a] at the 1986 tournament and then, for good measure, ran through the defence in a brilliant mazy solo run.[/p][p]It was also the venue for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a]’s 4-1 victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/hlKvieGH/"]Italy[/a] in the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/brazil-I9l9aqLq/italy-hlKvieGH/?mid=MBkj8JP4"]1970 final[/a], regarded by many as the best performance by any team in World Cup history.[/p][p]Bafana Bafana’s second game, against [b]Czech Republic[/b], was staged at the magnificent [b]Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta[/b], among the top sporting venues in the world.[/p][p]Opened in 2017 as a replacement for the Georgia Dome, it is home to the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League and Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer. The retractable roof is a major feature and it has a capacity of around [b]71,000[/b].[/p][p]South Africa returned to Mexico for their final Group A clash against [b]South Korea[/b], played at the [b]Estadio BBVA in Monterrey[/b]. The venue can hold [b]53,500[/b] fans and was opened in 2015. It is home to Mexican top-flight side CF Monterrey.[/p][p]The team played their round of 32 game in [b]Los Angeles [/b]against [b]Canada[/b]. It is a state-of-the-art 70,000-seater venue, arguably one of the best in the wordl for sport. [/p][embed guid="323e00da-ba25-44f9-8179-582375abdfb5" url="https://x.com/BafanaBafana/status/2045064884786729043?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2]South Africa’s World Cup preparations[/h2][p]In preparation for the FIFA World Cup, [b]Bafana Bafana[/b] played two friendlies, one of which, as hoped, was played in Mexico. [b]Jamaica[/b] was the opponent and held South Africa to a 1-1 draw in the Estadio Hidalgo in [b]Pachuca, Mexico[/b].[/p][p]Bafana Bafana's base camp is situated in [b]Pachuca, Mexico[/b], using the facilities of the Pachuca Universidad del Futbol, a football and sports sciences academy aligned to local club [b]CF Pachuca[/b]. It has an extensive campus of football pitches.[/p][p]Pachuca sits at an altitude of [b]2,432m[/b], significantly higher than Johannesburg, but boasts a cool summer climate with high rainfall and occasional hail. The warmest month is May, with an average high of 24°C and a low of 9°C.[/p][p]Bafana will stay at the [b]Camino Real Pachuca[/b], a five-star hotel surrounded by gardens and forest and situated 5km from Pachuca, the capital and largest city of the east-central Mexican state of Hidalgo.[/p][p]Pachuca is located about [b]90 kilometres north of Mexico City[/b] via Mexican Federal Highway 85, meaning easy travel for Bafana to get to their opening game against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on June 11.[/p]