Canada vs. South Africa Odds, Picks & Predictions - Round of 32, 06/28
After all the hoopla and the run up, the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup kicks off with a matchup as Canada takes on South Africa Sunday afternoon and we have you covered with our Canada vs. South Africa prediction. Canada was edged 2-1 by Switzerland in their final group play matchup Wednesday afternoon in their previous contest. South Africa downed South Korea 1-0 in their final group play match Wednesday their last time out. This marks the first time that the two countries have met in World Cup play. Let’s break down this South Korea vs. South Africa matchup.
Don’t forget to check out all the World Cup odds as the tournament progresses!
Canada Looking for First Trip to Round of 16
Canada In the World Cup
In 2026, Canada makes third appearance in the World Cup and their second straight. Les Rouges seek to build momentum in World Cup action. Their current record in the World Cup is one win, one draw and seven losses. Canada enters the World Cup ranked 30th in the current FIFA rankings and hope to make a move with a decent showing. Les Rouges battled to a 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina in their group opener. They battered Qatar 6-0 but missed a chance to earn the top spot in the group with their loss to Switzerland.
Canada Last Match
With a chance to clinch the top spot in Group B, Canada couldn’t close the deal. As a result, they finished second in the group and ended up with this matchup as opposed to a match with a third-place side. Les Rouges lost the possession by a 55% to 45% margin in the match. Meanwhile, Canada won the expected goals by a 1.66 to 1.11 margin and shots on goal by a 7-4 margin in the contest. In an relatively uneventful first half, the teams each had one or two good chances but the match remained scoreless at intermission. That changed pretty quickly after intermission.
In the second half, Canada gave up a goal right out of the gate as Switzerland took a 1-0 lead in the 46th minute. Les Rouges gave up a second goal in the 57th minute to trail by a pair and put them in desperation mode. Almost immediately after coming in off the bench, Promise David got Canada on the board in the 76th minute to make it a 2-1 score. Nathan Saliba drew the assist on the goal. Canada had a couple chances during stoppage time but couldn’t tally the equalizer. Maxime Crépeau makes his fourth World Cup appearance here for Canada. Canada is without Ismael Kone, who was stretchered off in the second half against Qatar with a broken leg.
South Africa Primed for Upset
South Africa in the World Cup
In 2026, the Bafana Bafana make their fourth World Cup appearance and their first since being the host nation back in 2010. South Africa advanced past the group stage for the first time in their history. Their all-time record in World Cup play is three wins, five draws and four losses. South Africa enters World Cup action standing 60th in the FIFA rankings. The Bafana Bafana fell to Mexico, drew Czechia and upended South Korea to finish second in Group A.
South Africa Last Match
Against South Korea, South Africa overcame a beating in the possession game to do enough offensively to earn a needed victory. The Bafana Bafana took a 68% to 32% beating in terms of possession in the match. Meanwhile, South Africa owned a 1.16 to 0.90 advantage in expected goals and owned a 4-3 margin in shots on goal in the match. The two sides traded early opportunities that didn’t come to fruition and continued to slog offensively. As it stood, the score was 0-0 at the half despite the best efforts by both teams.
In the second half, South Africa took the lead immediately after making a substitution. Thapelo Maseko scored in the 63rd minute of play to give South Africa a 1-0 advantage. Tshepang Moremi, who came on in the 62nd minute, assisted on that marker. The Bafana Bafana clamped down defensively the rest of the way. Meanwhile, South Korea’s relative passivity in terms of generating an attack secured the win for South Africa. Ronwen Williams, the 34-year-old goalkeeper with 17 World Cup qualifying match appearances, is expected between the sticks for this match. This marks his third World Cup appearance.
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Both sides are past the group stage for the first time here. With that said, South Africa hasn’t exactly set the world on fire in this tournament. The Bafana Bafana scored just two goals in their three group play matches. Canada struggled against Switzerland but their dominant showing against Qatar had pretty much locked them into a spot in the knockout stages. Missing out on a home game so to speak is a blow for Les Rouges but the fact remains that they are still the better side here. Take Canada in this one as they move on to the round of 16.
Our Prediction: Canada ML (BetMGM, -135)
In the knockout stage, we likely aren’t going to see the same kind of freewheeling style that some of the sides had in group play. No one wants to make a mistake that puts them down in a match where a loss leads to elimination. South Africa saw a total of five goals scored in their three matches in group play. Six of their last seven fell short of the number. Canada had that big offensive outburst against Qatar but had just one goal in each of their other two matches. This one winds up falling short of the total.
Our Prediction: Under 2.5 (FanDuel, -150)
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