Canada’s Tajon Buchanan in action with South Africa’s Oswin Appollis.Matthew Childs/Reuters
South Africa fan in Vancouver admits to divided loyalties
– Andrea Woo
Mickey GoldsteinAndrea Woo/The Globe and Mail
I found a South Africa supporter in the crowd here at the Vancouver fan festival! Mickey Goldstein, born and raised in South Africa and now living in Canada, said she caught her team’s unexpected win against South Korea at a pub in the city’s Granville Street entertainment district on Wednesday, and called it an exciting moment.
But she divides her allegiances between the two countries.
“I’d be just as happy if Canada won,” she said.
06/28/26 15:03Today’s anthem comparison
– Cathal Kelly
The South African anthem: This one always gets me in the feels. It reminds me wonderfully of the World Cup in that country, and of Nelson Mandela being driven around the field before the final. Like Marilyn Monroe said, you’ve never heard such cheering. A nice version of that here, though too few South Africans on hand to really carry it. 7/10
O Canada: There are a lot of people here in what I would call Hollywood Canadian cosplay – faces painted red, wearing flags as capes, cowboy hats. It’s like what we do back home, but MORE. Somehow, they make more of an impression than the fans back home because they make up only a portion of the crowd. A fine job of singing along to the soundtrack – which you may already know my feelings about. 8/10
The X factor: A lot of people in Mexico jerseys here. They will tip the rooting balance in this match. It’s not yet clear which benign global neighbour they will side with.
06/28/26 15:02Good vibes, sunshine back in full force in Vancouver
– Andrea Woo
Hello and happy match day! It’s Andrea Woo at the Vancouver fan festival at the PNE fairgrounds. It’s a few minutes until kickoff and it’s packed in the new amphitheatre here, with long lineups zigzagging outside.
It feels like there had been a lull in energy in the city after Team Canada’s loss to Switzerland on Wednesday – it even clouded over and started raining, breaking an unusually hot and sunny streak we had all tournament – but both the good vibes and sunshine are very much back right now.
06/28/26 15:00Fans gather in Toronto’s Distillery District to cheer on Canada
– Om Shanbhag
Hello! My name is Om and I’m a staff reporter at The Globe. You’ll usually find me working on stories across Canada, and today I’ll be covering the atmosphere in Toronto during the knockout match between Canada and South Africa.
My train into the city was packed with people wearing various Team Canada merchandise, along with others dressed for Toronto’s Pride parade and a Jays game this afternoon. It’s going to be a bustling afternoon for almost everyone.
Currently, I’m in the Distillery District, where people are gathering in a small square and preparing to watch the game on red and white inflatable couches. Patios surrounding the square are filling up, and space is quickly becoming a hot commodity.
06/28/26 14:57There is confidence in the South Africa camp and back home
– Neil Davidson
Players of South Africa prepare to walk out to warm up.Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
The Star, a daily newspaper out of Johannesburg, previews today’s match against Canada this way:
“Canada, backed by home support in Los Angeles, are expected to press aggressively, but Bafana will once again rely on compact structure and quick transitions as they attempt to continue their historic World Cup journey. The Canadians will bring plenty of Major League Soccer-fueled athleticism, but Bafana’s immense tactical discipline against South Korea showed they can withstand sustained pressure before striking like a viper. If (Thapelo) Maseko, Tshepang Moremi, and Relebohile Mofokeng can duplicate their Monterrey masterclass, a spot in the last 16 is well within reach.”
Maseko scored the decisive goal Wednesday at Estadio Monterrey in Mexico as South Africa upset South Korea 1-0 to book its place in the round-of-32.
The South African team’s nickname is Bafana Bafana. Taken from the Zulu language, it translates as “Young men.”
06/28/26 14:55Alphonso Davies’s involvement today still unclear
– Cathal Kelly
Canada’s Alphonso Davies warms up.FRANK GUNN/The Canadian Press
It’s still not clear whether Alphonso Davies will feature in today’s game. The coach says he’s ready to go, but he’s said a version of that before.
Davies was more involved in the warm-ups. For the previous three games, he has warmed up by himself with a staffer. On Saturday, he played rondos with teammates. Not a particularly vigorous game of rondos, but rondos nonetheless.
He won’t start, though no one expected that. If anything, he would be a late substitute.
However, many still wonder whether he’s actually fit to play, or this is the next phase of coach Jesse Marsch’s World Cup disinformation campaign.
06/28/26 14:36
A good omen: Canada comes out in all-black uniforms
– Paul Attfield
Canada’s Dayne St. Clair during warm up.JESSIE ALCHEH/Reuters
If anyone is looking for positive omens ahead of today’s match, Canada’s all-black uniforms certainly provide them.
The team has experienced some of its best moments in recent years wearing the black jerseys. Here are a few memorable matches when the men in black came to play:
Battle of the Iceteca – Powered by two goals from Cyle Larin in freezing conditions at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, Canada beat regional power Mexico in November, 2021, and took a big step toward qualifying for Qatar, its first men’s World Cup in 36 years.
Hamilton high – Again thriving in frigid conditions, Canada wore black in beating the United States 2-0 in Hamilton in January, 2022, solidifying its spot atop the qualification standings on its way to Qatar.
First goal – In Qatar, Canada again wore black as Alphonso Davies headed home Canada’s first-ever goal at a men’s World Cup, briefly putting Canada in front in what ended up being a 4-1 loss to Croatia.
The joy of six – Black was again on the menu as Canada grabbed its first win at a men’s World Cup, putting six past Qatar 10 days ago in a rout powered by a hat trick by Jonathan David that all but secured the team’s place in the knockout rounds at this tournament.
06/28/26 14:20Drake bets on Canada
– Neil Davidson
Drake is betting big on Canada to win today. The Toronto hip-hop star posted a photo on his Instagram account showing a bet of $770,000 on Canada, which would return $1,001,000.
That may not be a good thing, given that Drake’s betting history is checkered at best. There’s even a website about it – TheDrakeCurse.com
06/28/26 14:18Shuffling the starting lineup
– Paul Attfield and Neil Davidson
Jayden Nelson and Moïse Bombito arrive at the stadium before the match.JESSIE ALCHEH/Reuters
Hi there, I’m Paul Attfield and I’ll be watching Canada’s first-ever World Cup knockout match from in front of my TV here in Toronto.
And my name is Neil Davidson and I’m a sportswriter for The Globe. This game has been 40 years in the making, dating back to Canada’s debut at the men’s soccer showcase in 1986.
With a place in the last 16 at stake, Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has shuffled his starting lineup. He’s gone for experience in the back line, dropping 20-year-old Luc de Fougerolles in favour of 26-year-old Moïse Bombito, who has been working his way back from a broken leg and makes his first start at this tournament.
Up front, Tani Oluwaseyi also gets another start – his first since the opening match against Bosnia-Herzegovina – as he’s preferred to two-goal man Cyle Larin to partner Jonathan David.
Stephen Eustáquio and Liam Millar also return, in place of Mathieu Choinière and Ali Ahmed respectively, with Eustáquio back as captain, and taking his place in the midfield alongside Nathan Saliba.
Still no sign of Alphonso Davies, so it remains to be seen if the Bayern Munich star will get his first minutes at this World Cup in this pivotal match, which has to be settled on the day, whether it takes extra time and/or a penalty shootout. Either way, it’s all hands on deck.
06/28/26 13:18How has South Africa done in this World Cup?
– Sarah Wallace
South Africa’s Thapelo Maseko (12) celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal in a match against South Korea on Wednesday.Moises Castillo/The Associated Press
South Africa’s World Cup thus far has looked very similar to Canada’s: A win, a loss and a draw, finishing second in the group and qualifying for its first-ever knockout stage.
But the 60th-ranked team has arguably faced a more difficult route to get here. It lost 2-0 to hometown heroes Mexico, who went into the tournament ranked 14th; tied 40th-ranked Czechia 1-1; and upset 25th-ranked South Korea 1-0. Canada, ranked 30th, beat 56th-ranked Qatar, tied 64th-ranked Bosnia-Herzegovina and lost to 19th-ranked Switzerland.
06/28/26 13:15Your Golden Boot leaders after the group stage
– Sarah Wallace
Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina.David Ramos/Getty Images
The race has heated up for the Golden Boot after the group stages, but one man still reigns supreme: Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
Despite not starting against Jordan, Messi remains atop the Golden Boot race, awarded to the top goal scorer of the tournament. His late goal against Jordan yesterday makes him the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup games.
France’s Ousmane Dembele has brought himself into contention after scoring a first-half hat trick against Norway on Friday – the first since the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
Here’s the leader board going into the knockout stages:
Argentina’s Lionel Messi (Six goals, no assists)France’s Kylian Mbappe (Four goals, two assists)France’s Ousmane Dembele (Four goals, one assist) Brazil’s Vinicius Junior (Four goals, one assist)Norway’s Erling Haaland (Four goals, no assists)06/28/26 13:09What’s the difference between the knockout rounds and the group stage?
– Sarah Wallace
Now that the dust of the group stage has settled, only 32 teams remain.
There are no more draws. If a game is tied after regulation, 30 minutes of extra time will be played, split into two 15-minute halves. Added time is also included in the 30 minutes.
If the score is still tied after extra time, there will be a penalty shootout. Penalties are best-of-five, with teams alternating shots. If it’s still tied after a best-of-five, then teams go to do-or-die penalty kicks: The winner will be determined when one team scores and the other team doesn’t. Argentina won the last World Cup, against France, in a penalty shootout.
All yellow cards accumulated in the group stage have also been erased. A yellow card clean slate will also take effect in the quarter-finals.
06/28/26 13:00SoFi Stadium brings up some bitter memories in Canadians
– Cathal Kelly
Canada’s Niko Sigur reacts after his team lost against Mexico in a CONCACAF Nations League semifinal match in March, 2025 at SoFi.Etienne Laurent/The Associated Press
Hi, I’m Cathal Kelly, a sports columnist at The Globe and Mail. I’m here in Inglewood, Calif., for today’s Round of 32 elimination game between Canada and South Africa.
Hours before kickoff they were already lining up outside SoFi Stadium here. The lovely thing is that the vast majority of those early-arriving fans were wearing Mexico colours. Proposed chant: ‘CUSMA! CUSMA! CUSMA!’
This stadium is one of the few you could describe as awe-inspiring. More underground than above, it’s like a spaceship that has crashed into a parking lot. An incredibly expensive spaceship.
If you’ve got nothing to do until game time, John Seabrook wrote a fabulous piece about it in The New Yorker.
The Canadian team is very familiar with SoFi – and not in a good way. This is where they played in the CONCACAF Nations League in March, 2025, and lost in the semis.
More memorably, Alphonso Davies played hurt, did himself a real mischief in the meaningless third-place game and subsequently required surgery. Through a combo of injuries and awkward scheduling, he hasn’t played for the Canadian team since.
We are led to believe that he will play today against South Africa.
Regardless, most people seem to believe this will be a walkover for Canada. I’m not so sure. The knockout rounds of a tournament this big do weird things to teams, good and bad. I suspect this will be a very tight game, with both teams seeking to avoid errors rather than do anything too ambitious.
06/28/26 13:00Capturing the vibe in Toronto
– Matthew Frank
Hi, I’m Matthew Frank, a national reporter for The Globe and Mail. I’ll be bouncing between Toronto bars and parks during today’s match, capturing fans’ near-miss groans and goal-scoring celebrations. My first stop, besides grabbing some sunscreen, is a watch party at the University of Toronto. Stay tuned.
06/28/26 13:00Tallying up Team Canada’s injured players
– David Ebner
Canada continues to wait on Alphonso Davies, who is yet to see the field for his nation in this World Cup, due to recovery from a recent hamstring injury.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
This is not, and hasn’t been, a squad at full strength. Injured captain Alphonso Davies of course, but there’s also top defender, Moïse Bombito, who played only in the easygoing second half against Qatar. And the absence of keystone midfielder Ismaël Koné showed against Switzerland, especially in getting the ball up the pitch to drive the attack.
Among other player question marks before today’s match is midfielder Stephen Eustáquio. He played most of the Bosnia game and all of the Qatar game. Didn’t start again the Swiss and came on in the 58th minute and looked pretty good.
Canada does not have “all of our weapons at our disposal,” Marsch said. The team is closer to full health.
The tournament clock, however, becomes inexorable, and now there is no margin for missteps.
06/28/26 13:00Five things Canada needs to focus on against South Africa
– David Ebner
Canada’s Luc de Fougerolles in action with Switzerland’s Breel Embolo (right) in the match on Wednesday.Lee Smith/Reuters
Canada and South Africa are both in the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time. Canada ranks 30th in FIFA’s tally of teams; South Africa is 60th. Stalwart Canadian defender Alistair Johnston on Thursday foresaw a “track meet” against South Africa.
The winner plays either Netherlands (FIFA-ranked eighth) or Morocco (seventh) on July 4 in Houston.
Here are five things Canada needs to get from L.A. to Houston.
06/28/26 13:00Meet the Toronto bladesmith who helped arm Canada for the last World Cup
– Neil Davidson
Bladesmith Steve Karakostas applies oil to a sword inside his workshop in Toronto, Ont., earlier this month.Arlyn McAdorey/The Globe and Mail
Steve Karakostas made the ceremonial sword that the Canadian players plunged into the pitch the day before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He started making blades in 2012 as a hobby and began selling his works in 2016.
“I just really liked swords,” he explained. “And I thought to myself, ‘I can make something.’ And then I spent a small fortune on equipment. And then I just slowly, slowly started making things. And eventually I got good at it.”
It was a timely career change, given his original custom painting business dried up after the pandemic.
Read more about the unlikely part of Team Canada’s journey.
06/28/26 13:00How a sword helped shape the identity of Canada’s World Cup squad
– Neil Davidson
Canada’s Nathan Saliba holds up the jersey of injured teammate Ismaël Koné after scoring his side’s fourth goal during last week’s 6-0 World Cup win over Qatar in Vancouver.Abbie Parr/The Associated Press
When Nathan Saliba held up Ismaël Koné’s jersey to honour his fallen teammate after scoring in Canada’s 6-0 win over Qatar last week, the message was loud and clear.
The brotherhood is strong.
Former Canada coach John Herdman knew the power of such symbols. And he used that knowledge to build that brotherhood en route to the 2022 World Cup.
Looking to boost the Canadian men’s arsenal, Herdman armed them in qualifying. Literally, with a bespoke sword.
Herdman wanted his players to have the licence to attack, whether it be the opposing team or “individuals in our own organization that were pandering to other organizations to allow their careers to flourish.”
The sword came with a ceremony at the stadium the day before each game. The plan was, with players and staff surrounding him, the captain or acting captain would say a few words and then plunge the sword into the turf to denote “tomorrow this turf is ours.”
06/28/26 13:00How to watch the game in Canada
– Moira Wyton
Fans at Vancouver’s Granville Island watch Canada’s historic win over Qatar last week.JUSTINE BEAULIEU-POUDRIER/The Globe and Mail
You can watch all 104 matches on television on TSN, or subscribe to stream them on TSN.ca or the TSN+ app. Check your cable package to see if you have TSN included, and find the full broadcast schedule here.
Thirty matches will be available to watch on CTV or to stream through the CTV channel via the Crave app.
And The Globe and Mail will have live coverage of all Team Canada matches, as well as news and analysis throughout the tournament, which you can find here.