In association football, South Africa reaches the knockout stage of a FIFA World Cup for the first time after defeating South Korea 1–0 in their final group-stage match to finish second in Group A. Co-hosts Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina also advance for the first time after finishing Group B in second place and third place, respectively.

The development was among the significant sport stories being followed from World. Contemporary coverage attributed the principal details to AFP via France 24 on 24 June 2026.

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