South Africa defeated South Korea 1-0 at the Estadio Monterrey on Wednesday to qualify for the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup.
Thapelo Maseko scored the only goal of the match in the 63rd minute before Bafana held on to Bafana, sealing three points and finishing second in the group.
South Africa, playing in its fourth World Cup, advanced past the group stage for the first time and sparked jubilant celebrations.
Korea finished third, with their chances of progress hanging by a thread. Korea currently sit fourth among the top third teams with three points and will need a run of results to achieve qualification.
South Africa vs South Korea – Player Ratings
South Africa: Williams (8.5), Mudau (8.1), Okon (7.2), Mbokazi (7.9), Modiba (7.3), Mbatha (7.5), Sithole (7.8), Maseko (7.6), Mofokeng (7.0), Appollis (6.5), Makgopa (6.8)
subtitles: Moremy (7.2), Rayners (6.2), Adams (6.2)
South Korea: Kim Seung-gyu (6.1), Lee Han-beom (6.5), Kim Min-jae (6.5), Lee Gi-hyuk (7.1), Seol Young-woo (6.5), Paik Seung-ho (6.1), Hwang In-beom (6.4), Lee Kang-in (6.7), Lee Jae-sung (6.5), Hwang Hee-chan (6.1), Oh Hyeon-gyu (5.8)
subtitles: Jens Castrop (6.5), Kim Tae-hyeon (6.3), Son Heung-min (6.2), Park Jin-seob (6.2), Cho Gue-sung (5.7)
Published on June 25, 2026
