Bafana Bafana secured a historic place in the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating South Korea 1-0 in their final group-stage match on Wednesday.
Hugo Broos’ side delivered a disciplined performance, with Pule Maseko scoring the decisive goal to send South Africa through to the next round of the tournament.
Broos made several changes to his starting line-up, with Sphephelo Sithole returning in place of the suspended Teboho Mokoena, while Relebohile Mofokeng and Evidence Makgopa earned their first starts of the competition.
South Korea, needing only a point to progress, created early chances through Lee Kang-In and Oh Hyeon-Gyu, but failed to find the breakthrough before halftime.
South Africa came close to opening the scoring after 30 minutes when goalkeeper Seung-Gyu Kim parried Thalente Mbatha’s effort into the path of Makgopa, who could not convert from close range.
The match remained open throughout the first half, with Maseko, Mofokeng and Oswin Appollis regularly threatening the South Korean defence.
The breakthrough arrived in the 63rd minute after substitute Tshepang Moremi made an immediate impact. Moremi squared the ball to Maseko, who took a touch before firing into the bottom corner to give Bafana a 1-0 lead.
South Korea dominated possession in search of an equaliser, but South Africa produced a strong defensive display and held on for the victory, securing their place in the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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