The 2026 World Cup will have 13 kickoff times. You can use the Al Jazeera Sport widget to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time.Who: Czechia vs South Africa
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A match
Where: Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
When: Thursday, noon (16:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 12:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Haaland double powers Norway to World Cup win over Iraq in Bostonlist 2 of 3Messi hat-trick fires holders Argentina to win over Algeria at World Cuplist 3 of 3Messi breaks World Cup record, rewrites history on a special night for Argentinaend of listThe second round of the group matches at the 2026 World Cup begins on Thursday as Czechia face South Africa in Group A in Atlanta.Despite scoring first in their tournament opener, the Czechs suffered a 2-1 defeat to South Korea in Guadalajara, Mexico, while South Africa faced a similar fate. Their nine-man side fell 2-0 to cohosts Mexico in a chaotic contest in Mexico City.As they fly to the United States, both bruised teams will hope to bounce back and stay in the hunt for the knockout stages at the 48-team tournament.Here is all to know about the Czechia vs South Africa matchup:Under-pressure Czechs can’t afford a loss against South AfricansCzechia’s rugged, set piece-reliant game failed against South Korea’s fluid, possession-based football despite captain Ladislav Krejci scoring the opening goal.With Group A table toppers Mexico posing a more complex challenge in their final group fixture, the Czechs know their best chance of securing three points will be against Bafana Bafana on Thursday.“Against South Africa, we have to get it right,” defender Jaroslav Zeleny said.“Mexico will probably be a tougher challenge afterwards, so we have to give everything in the match against South Africa and absolutely make sure we win it.”Czechia players pose for a team photo before their World Cup 2026 opening match against South Korea [File: Paul Childs/Reuters]Before the Czech Republic and Slovakia became separate countries, confederated Czechoslovakia was for many years one of the best teams in Europe and finished World Cup runners-up in 1934 and 1962. Since then, the Czechia’s record has been poor with only four tournament appearances and progression to the knockout stages only once – a quarterfinal run in 1990.The Czechs, back at the tournament after 20 long years, need a much-improved performance to keep their World Cup dreams alive in North America.South Africa out to silence critics after Mexico disappointmentWith millions of fans watching from across the world, South Africa played Mexico in the tournament opener, bringing back memories of the 2010 edition’s opening game. But unlike the result in their home World Cup opener 16 years ago, South Africa suffered a crushing defeat this time.And while that was not unexpected against a solid Mexican side playing in front of a partisan home crowd, what disappointed fans back home was the poor display by the South African team.Two red cards, two goals conceded and a below-par fight drew widespread criticism in South Africa with everything from the individual displays to the tactics of their coach, Hugo Broos, under the spotlight.Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio shows a red card to South Africa’s midfielder Themba Zwane during the 2026 World Cup Group A match against Mexico [Yuri Corte/AFP]“Something that I’ve picked up is that South Africans are happy when you win, but when you lose, you are the worst. That is a fact,” winger Thapelo Maseko said.“We have big players with heart, and if there is anyone out there doubting this team, they’d better think again.”After impressive results by their African counterparts – Morocco, Cape Verde, Egypt and the Ivory Coast – the pressure is on Bafana Bafana to play catch-up.Czechia vs South Africa predictionStats provider Opta’s supercomputer has given the Czechia a 54.9 percent probability of winning this fixture. South Africa has a 21.8 percent chance while there is a 23.3 percent probability of a draw.Kickoff time and how to watch
