Eustáquio’s late winner sends Canada to World Cup Round of 16

Canada defeats South Africa 1-0 to secure historic Round of 16 berth.

LOS ANGELES - The FIFA World Cup 2026 continued with Canada earning a 1-nil win over South Africa in the Round of 32 on Sunday at Los Angeles Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau had an early intervention in the 6’ to deny a long-range attempt from Teboho Mokoena.

Canada nearly pulled ahead before the half in the 44’ with consecutive chances on a corner kick opportunity. First, a header from Moïse Bombito was cleared off the line by South Africa defender Aubrey Modiba, before Tajon Buchanan followed up with an effort from close range that was denied by goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.

The Reds kept pushing for the opener and once again came close on a counterattack in the 65’, with Liam Millar serving a through ball into space for Tani Oluwaseyi, before the forward’s finish on a one-on-one opportunity was met by a save from Williams.

After generating several opportunities in the final stretch of the match, Canada ultimately broke the deadlock in dramatic fashion in the 90’+2’ through Stephen Eustáquio. The midfielder chested down the ball outside the box after a defensive clearance from South Africa and unleashed a right-footed finish to the bottom-left corner.

The result sees Canada secure a spot in the Round of 16 to continue its historic first run in the Knockout Round at a FIFA World Cup. The Reds will face the Netherlands or Morocco in the Round of 16 on July 4, 1:00 PM ET (12:00 PM local), at Houston Stadium.

Canada vs South Africa – Post-Match Facts

• Stephen Eustáquio became just the second player since 1966 to create five or more shot opportunities from set-piece situations in a FIFA World Cup knockout-stage match, matching the mark set by Andrea Pirlo for Italy against Germany in the 2006 semifinal.
• Eustáquio created five chances from set pieces against South Africa, the joint-highest total by any player in a single match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• Stephen Eustáquio led all players in the group stage with 39 passes into the penalty area and again topped the category against South Africa with five, tying teammate Liam Miller for the most passes into the box in the match.
• Eustáquio was directly involved in seven of Canada’s 12 shots, recording two attempts of his own while creating five scoring opportunities, making him Canada’s primary attacking catalyst.
• Canada has now recorded 28 shots on target at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the highest total of any nation in the tournament. It also equals the highest total ever recorded by a Concacaf team in a single FIFA World Cup (since 1966), matching Mexico’s mark from 1986.
• Despite having less possession (42% to South Africa’s 58%), Canada outperformed its opponent in shots (12-6), shots on target (7-1), and expected goals (1.3 xG to 0.1 xG), highlighting its superior attacking efficiency.
• Stephen Eustáquio’s 90th-minute winner was the first goal scored in the 90th minute to decide a FIFA World Cup knockout-stage match since Nacer Chadli’s dramatic winner for Belgium against Japan in the Round of 16 at Russia 2018.