Bafana Bafana qualify for the World Cup knockout round for the first time ever

Hugo Broos has guided Bafana Bafana to the knockout stage of the Fifa World Cup for the first time in the team’s history. A goal from Cyprus-based winger Thapelo Maseko on 63 minutes secured a historic 1-0 for the South Africans at Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe.

This means that in their fourth World Cup appearance, the team has finally been able to reach what has been an elusive stage of the tournament. It also means Broos, who is set to step down as Bafana Bafana coach after the tournament, will be in charge for another match at least.

Bafana will face Canada next, after finishing second in the Group on four points. Mexico topped Group A with nine points after beating Czechia 3-0 in their final match.

Maseko’s moment

Maseko was part of the Bafana Bafana team that secured bronze at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, but his joy was short-lived: an injury sustained at the tournament stalled his career as he struggled to regain fitness and form.

He lost his place at Mamelodi Sundowns and was relegated to the reserves. He wrote on social media: “I don’t even know when it started, but lately it’s like the fire in me is fading. I still train like my life depends on it. But inside it feels empty.”

In January 2026, Cyprus-based club Limassol offered Maseko a way out with a loan deal, and when he made his debut for them in February it was his first competitive start in nearly two years.

He posted: “662 days without a start … I learned patience … I learned humility … I learned who I am. Last night meant more than words can explain.”

History made!

South Africa (SA) came into the match knowing that victory was the only result that would guarantee them passage to the second round.

Broos showed the most attacking intent he has shown in the whole tournament to date. The Belgian tactician ditched his three flat central midfielders setup in favour of two centre mids and a playmaker in the form of Relebohile Mofokeng. Thus handing the highly-rated youngster his first opportunity to impress from the start.

Against Mexico, Mofokeng did not feature at all. While against Czechia he came on as an early second-half substitute. Against the Asian side, he started and delivered an impressive display; pulling the strings from midfield.

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The South Africans were seeking qualification from a World Cup group stage for the first time in their history, as South Korea targeted reaching the knockout phase in successive editions for the first time.

The South Koreans knew that a draw would be sufficient. However, they did not come into the match with that mentality.

“As players we are trying to lift the atmosphere in the team. We are treating the match against South Africa as if it’s the absolute last match,” Cho Gue-sung told Fifa Media.

“Everyone is well aware that it is an incredibly important match. A lot of people seem to think we can progress, even with a draw. But we won’t be playing for a point. Our sole focus is to win and guarantee qualification. We must take all three points.”

Sequence of play

Two minutes in, the South Koreans showed this exact intent as they conjured up the game’s first shot from a corner kick. Captain for the night, Kim Min-jae, connected with the cross, but his header was blocked by left-back Aubrey Modiba.

However, it was the South Africans who created the bulk of first-half opportunities after that sequence of play. Despite Cho’s pre-match utterances, the Taeguk Warriors appeared content to just absorb the pressure. Especially knowing that Bafana Bafana were desperate for victory.

Midway through the first stanza, SA had their first real chance as Mofokeng threaded through a perfect pass for the sprinting Maseko. However, the winger could not sort out his feet quickly enough and his shot was eventually blocked.

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Not long after that after that, midfielder Thalente Mbatha unleashed one of his trademark long-range shots, which goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu spilled into the path of striker Evidence Makgopa.

But the lanky forward could not connect meaningfully and instead passed the ball back into the grateful hands of Kim from close range. Although Makgopa appeared to be in an offside position anyway. Due to that miss from close range, there was no need for the video assistant referee (VAR) to intervene.

By the end of the first stanza, the South Africans had managed a mammoth 11 shots at the South Korean goal, but only three were on target. Bafana Bafana’s Asian opponents had just three strikes at Ronwen Williams’ goal, none of which were on target.

The second half began with much more intensity from the South Koreans, inspired by the introduction of their captain and talisman Son Heung-min.

After some back and forth action in the second stanza, Maseko finally dispatched an opportunity for his team. The winger controlled and finished off a great cross from substitute Tshepang Moremi. From then on it was a matter of efficient game management from Broos’ charges.

South Korea’s African hoodoo

The South Koreans came into the match having played an African team four times at the World Cup. Their results were mixed and featured a solitary win, a draw and two losses.

The Asian nation’s sole victory over African opposition before the match against South Africa came via a 2-1 win over Togo at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The two defeats they suffered came against Algeria in 2014 (2-1), as well as Ghana in 2022 (3-2). They drew two-all with Nigeria at the South Africa-hosted 2010 World Cup.

The Taeguk Warriors were strong in qualifying. They remained unbeaten through their 16 matches, winning 11 of them and scoring 40 goals and conceding just eight as they finished six points ahead of Jordan.

Now they will have to wait for results in other groups to see if their knockout round dream is alive or not. Meanwhile, South Africa are into the knockouts for the first time ever, where Canada await Bafana Bafana. DM