History Made! Thapelo Maseko Star, South Africa beat S.Korea 1-0 Advance to World Cup Knockout Stage for the First Time in History

South Africa hold on South Korea in a crucial Group A encounter at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. South Korea arrive with momentum after securing an impressive 2-1 comeback victory over Czechia in their opening match, while South Africa are looking to recover from a 2-0 defeat against co-hosts Mexico...

A historic night for South Africa! Thapelo Maseko’s stunning second-half winner secured a place in the World Cup knockout stage for the first time ever.

South Africa defeated South Korea 1-0 in Monterrey to seal second place in Group A behind Mexico, creating a moment that will be remembered forever in the nation’s football history.

The match was far from a classic, with South Korea controlling possession but struggling to create real danger, while South Africa stayed disciplined and looked dangerous on the counterattack.

The breakthrough arrived when Thapelo Maseko produced a moment of brilliance inside the box, cutting onto his left foot before firing through Jens Castrop’s legs and into the near corner.

South Korea pushed for an equaliser but lacked the attacking quality needed to break down a well-organised South African defence. Even the introduction of Son Heung-min after halftime failed to change their fortunes.

South Africa’s victory means they have finally broken their World Cup group-stage barrier after years of disappointment. The team had previously never progressed beyond the group stage in their tournament appearances.

Now, South Africa move on to face Canada in Los Angeles in the last 32, while South Korea must wait nervously to discover whether they qualify as one of the best third-place teams.

A determined performance, a historic goal, and a new chapter begins for South African football.

South Africa 1-0 South Korea, final score, match stats, facts, records

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

South Africa have qualified for the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup for the first time, after failing to do so in 1998, 2002, and as hosts in 2010. They are the seventh African nation to ever reach a World Cup knockout phase.

Bafana Bafana are the seventh African nation to reach the knockout stage of FIFA World Cup.

The last 11 goals scored by South Africa at the FIFA World Cup have been scored by 11 different players.

South Africa maintained 31.5% of the possession in the victory, their lowest possession percentage in any FIFA World Cup match. Korea Republic’s 68.5% possession was its highest on record (since 1966) in a FIFA World Cup match.

Son Heung-Min had started 12 consecutive FIFA World Cup matches for Korea Republic prior to the match against South Africa. Son came on as a substitute at half-time as his 13 FIFA World Cup matches played trail only Hong Myung-Bo (16) and Park Ji-Sung (14) for most in Korea Republic history..

Unique Club Milestone: Thapelo Maseko’s winner was the first-ever FIFA World Cup goal scored by a player representing a club team based in Cyprus.

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