liveUpdated 10m agoFollow live updates from the opening round of 32 match as South Africa take on co-hosts Canada in Los Angeles.The Athletic Live TeamJune 28, 2026 at 10:30 AM EDTCanada contest the first knockout match of the tournament today GettySouth Africa vs Canada — LatestCo-hosts Canada take on South Africa today in the first round-of-32 match in the 96-year history of the World Cup.Defeat to Switzerland in their final group game saw Canada qualify as runners-up of Group B, meaning they will play no more matches on home soil. Instead, they face Group A runners-up South Africa at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The winners of today’s match will play either the Netherlands or Morocco for a place in the quarter-finals.Kick-off: 3pm ETWatch: Fox, Fubo (Try for free)Chat to fellow subscribers or email live@theathletic.comHugo Broos delighted with his team’s tactics Getty ImagesSouth Africa coach Hugo Broos was thrilled with the way his team played in their crunch match with South Korea, telling reporters:💬 “We played a very good game tactically. It was very good; everyone did their job. I’m very proud of the performance of my team.“It was an emotional moment. We came here to Mexico and we wanted to survive the group stage. And that, for me, was really a moment of emotions, not only because we won the game but also because as I’ve said in the past, it probably will be one of my last games of my career.”Last time out for South Africa Getty ImagesThat final Group A game against South Korea in Monterrey, will live long in the memories of all Bafana Bafana supporters.The 1-0 win was historic for it finally getting South Africa into the knockout stage of a World Cup — something they were supposed to do when they hosted the tournament in 2010. Instead, they became the first World Cup hosts to suffer a group-stage exit.This was there redemption.Son Heung-min was left out of South Korea’s starting line-up on the day, a staggering decision given there had been no sign of an injury to one of the greatest footballers in the country’s history. However, Son had also found the previous two group games hard-going and had been struggling to make an impact. South Africa took full advantage, upsetting the odds with a result for the ages. Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero has everything you need to know right here.How did South Africa get here? Getty ImagesOne nation unlikely to complain about the tournament’s expanded format is South Africa, with Bafana Bafana through to the knockout phase of a World Cup for the first time.They started slowly with defeat by hosts Mexico and looked on the verge of elimination until a late equaliser against Czech Republic earned them a 1-1 draw.Then in their final group game, South Africa upset the odds with a historic 1-0 win over South Korea thanks to Thapelo Maseko’s strike.Sign up to our World cup briefing Want an update of everything going on at the 2026 World Cup dropped into your inbox every morning?Sign up here to The Athletic’s World Cup Briefing so that you don’t miss a thing.Where can I watch today’s game? Getty ImagesIn the United States you can watch today’s knockout match on FOX and Telemundo. In Canada you will be able to find it on TSN 1, 3, 4 and CTV. When does this match start? ReutersToday’s match between South Africa and Canada kicks off at 12pm PT in Los Angeles.That is a 3pm ET start on the east coast, and 8pm BST for those in the United Kingdom. Welcome to our live coverage today Getty ImagesHello and welcome to our coverage of the first World Cup round-of-32 fixture.With the tournament’s expanded format, we have a whole extra round of games to enjoy. South Africa and co-hosts Canada contest the first of them in Los Angeles.Neither side had previously made it out of the group stage at a World Cup, so we are already in uncharted territory. But for one of them, a round-of-16 match against either Morocco or the Netherlands in Houston on Saturday awaits.Stick with us for all the build-up, team news, analysis, match action and reaction.