Canada reaches World Cup last 16 with first knockout win

Stephen Eustáquio scored in the 92nd minute and Canada beat South Africa 1-0 on June 28, 2026, in Inglewood, California, to reach the World Cup round of 16 for the first time in team history. It was Canada’s first knockout-stage victory in a men’s World Cup, a late finish that turned a tight, tense night at Los Angeles Stadium, also known as SoFi Stadium, into a landmark result.

Jesse Marsch framed the win as more than a result on the bracket. After the final whistle, Canada’s coach called his players “Canadian heroes” and said, “This sport has a big future because of you guys.” Marsch said he did not care if his on-pitch message to the squad looked “performative,” because he wanted the players to understand the scale of what they had just delivered for Canadian soccer.

The result also carried the weight of where Canada came from in the group stage. A 2-1 loss to Switzerland on June 24 left Canada second in Group B and pushed the team out of Vancouver and into neutral-site knockout duty in California, rather than the home setting the program had hoped for. That detour only sharpened the significance of the victory, which arrived with Canada standing one goal from elimination and needing stoppage time to break through.

South Africa made Canada work for it. Moise Bombito had a header cleared off the line by Aubrey Modiba before halftime, Tajon Buchanan drove a chance into the body of goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, and Richie Laryea had a penalty appeal rejected after a VAR review. Canadian supporters in the stadium booed the no-penalty decision, a sign of how tightly the game was balanced before Eustáquio settled it.

Marsch, who took over as Canada coach in May 2024, has overseen a sharp rise in the team’s standing. He inherited a side sitting around 50th in FIFA’s rankings and has pushed it toward the top 30, a climb that has helped turn Canada from an underdog with promise into a team carrying expectation. His next test comes on July 4 in Houston, where Canada will face the winner of the Netherlands and Morocco for a place in the quarterfinals.