South Africa's forward #12 Thapelo Maseko celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the 2026 World Cup Group A football match between South Africa and South Korea at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico, on June 24, 2026. Picture: Julio Cesar AGUILAR / AFP
Bafana Bafana beat South Korea 1-0 at Estadio Monterrey on Thursday to book their spot in the knockout round of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history.
Bafana took the lead in the 63rd minute through Thapelo Maseko.
The win took Bafana to four points to finish in second place in the group, automatically advancing to the next round. Mexico finished top of Group A, after beating Czechia 3-0 in a simultaneous fixture on Thursday.
Bafana will play in the first fixture of the round of 32, against World Cup co-hosts Canada at Los Angeles Stadium on Sunday.
