It is a historic moment for us as a country – Okon – South African Football Association

28 June 2026 – The stage is set for an epic showdown when Bafana Bafana face Canada at the Los Angeles Stadium in a highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup second round clash that will attract eyeballs from across the globe on Sunday.

The South African senior men’s national team made history on Wednesday this week when the country qualified for the second round of the global tournament for the first time ever after beating South Korea 1-0 in Monterrey, Mexico, courtesy of a lone strike from Thapelo Maseko. Coach Hugo Broos and defender Ime Okon said the team hopes to carry the momentum forward against World Cup co-hosts Canada on Sunday, 28 June 2026.

“I think we can say that the World Cup has already been a success for us. Everybody in South Africa expected and hoped that we would be in the second round, and we are in the second round. This is important, but again that doesn’t mean that we are happy and that we just play the game tomorrow and go home. We want more and we want to win the game tomorrow,” coach Broos said.

“It is a historic moment for us as a country. We are just really happy and excited, and if we can keep going on then we will. We must just keep on working hard and looking forward to the next game,” Okon said.

SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan said the team has worked very hard to reach this stage of the tournament.

“We will continue the fight on Sunday. Bafana Bafana have already reached unprecedented heights,” the SAFA President said.
“This team has worked hard to reach new heights, and we can surpass the previous milestones. To coach Hugo Broos and the entire team, you can emerge from this match as a new champion of our people’s hearts.
“We are solidly behind you, and we believe in all of you. All the best, we believe in you.”

South African Football: The first coach of Bafana Bafana was Clive Barker.