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Canada reached the World Cup last 16 for the first time in its history after captain Stephen Eustaquio scored a stoppage-time winner in a 1-0 victory over South Africa in Los Angeles on Sunday, as the knockout rounds opened in North America.
The match at SoFi Stadium brought together two teams appearing beyond the group stage for the first time. The knockout phase refers to the part of the tournament in which a team is eliminated after one defeat. The last 16 is the next round, made up of the final 16 teams left in the competition.
Canada, one of the 2026 World Cup co-hosts, had to play in Los Angeles after finishing second in its group behind Switzerland. It will now travel to Houston, where it will face either the Netherlands or Morocco on July 4.
The game looked set to go into extra time before Canada finally found a way through in the 92nd minute.
Jacob Shaffelburg raced down the right wing and sent in a cross, which South Africa headed clear only as far as Eustaquio. The Porto midfielder, who is on loan at Los Angeles FC, controlled the ball on his chest and struck a first-time shot into the bottom-left corner.
Canada’s bench ran onto the pitch as the stadium erupted, marking the country’s first knockout-stage win at a World Cup.
Alistair Johnston said Canada was excited to still be playing and relieved to have got over the line, adding: "It's still a pinch-me moment, honestly, we just won a knockout-round match at a World Cup."
Canada had started on the front foot against a South Africa side that defended deep and looked to break forward on the counterattack.
In the first half, Eustaquio delivered a precise free kick to Derek Cornelius at the six-yard line, but the defender mistimed his header. Canada then went close from a corner when Moise Bombito’s header was cleared off the line before Tajon Buchanan’s follow-up was blocked by goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
Canada also appealed for a penalty before halftime after Khuliso Mudau collided with Richie Laryea, but the referee waved play on.
After the break, South Africa continued to slow the rhythm of the game, while Canada pushed for a breakthrough. Just after the hour mark, substitute Niko Sigur played in Tani Oluwaseyi, whose shot was saved by Williams and looped toward Jonathan David before Mbekezeli Mbokazi cleared the danger.
Alphonso Davies, who had not featured earlier in the tournament because of a hamstring injury, came on in the 75th minute to a loud reception from the heavily Canadian crowd.
The Bayern Munich wing-back quickly helped Canada step up the pressure. He found Jonathan David on the left, and David laid the ball off to Promise David, whose shot went wide. Davies then picked out Jonathan David again, but Williams denied the striker from a tight angle.
Canada coach Jesse Marsch said his team believed it could wear South Africa down over time and that although it took 92 minutes, it eventually got there. He also said Canada could have made the match easier by taking earlier chances, but added that the timing of the goal made the win more dramatic and would have a major impact back home.
South Africa’s campaign ended in the first knockout round, but coach Hugo Broos said his team could be fairly satisfied after progressing from the group stage for the first time.
Broos said South Africa was disappointed because it wanted to win, but added that reaching the next round would have been "a little miracle."
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For Canada, the result keeps alive a historic World Cup run and sets up another major test in Houston against either the Netherlands or Morocco.
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