South Africa secured qualification to the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after grinding out a tense 1-0 victory over South Korea in their decisive final Group A encounter on Thursday morning.
Bafana Bafana entered the match under pressure following defeat to Mexico and a draw against Czechia in their opening two fixtures, leaving them with only one point and needing a victory to guarantee progression to the knockout stage.
On the matchday, South Korea started brightly and nearly found an early breakthrough in the third minute when Min-Jae Kim connected with a cross inside the box, but his header was blocked by the South African defence before it could trouble the goalkeeper.
The Asian side continued to push forward and created another major opportunity in the eighth minute as Kang-In Lee found space inside the penalty area, only to send his effort wide of the post after meeting a dangerous cross.
South Africa gradually settled into the contest and almost took the lead midway through the first half. Evidence Makgopa reacted quickly to a rebound inside the area and drilled a powerful shot toward goal, but Seung-Gyu Kim produced an excellent reflex save to deny the striker and keep the scores level.
The crucial winning moment eventually arrived in the 63rd minute. Tshepang Moremi played a key role in the move before squaring the ball perfectly for Thapelo Maseko, who calmly fired into the bottom corner to hand South Africa the lead.
South Korea threw numbers forward in the closing stages as they searched desperately for an equaliser, but South Africa’s defence remained disciplined under pressure to see out the contest.
With the narrow 1-0 win, South Africa finished second in Group A after Mexico also beat Czechia in the other group match to top the group.
The qualification for the knockout round is a historic first for South Africa and a source of motivation to move further in the tournament.
Its all over in Monterey as Bafana Bafana defeat South Korea 1-0 to book their place in the next round of the FIFA World Cup#BafanaPride#BafanaBafana #FIFAWorldCuppic.twitter.com/wtQmHOtnlU
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 25, 2026
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