South Africa have become the second African nation to be eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup after suffering a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to co-hosts Canada in the Round of 32 on Sunday.
Bafana Bafana produced a resilient performance and looked set to force extra time after holding their hosts for the entire match. However, their hopes were dashed in the first minute of stoppage time when Stephen Eustaquio scored the decisive goal to send Canada into the next round.
The defeat sees South Africa join Tunisia, who were knocked out in the group stage, as the only African teams eliminated from the tournament so far.
Despite the painful exit, the tournament marked a historic achievement for South Africa, who reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.
Bafana Bafana were among the nine African nations that successfully progressed beyond the group stage, underlining the continent’s strong showing at the 2026 tournament.
