Canada and South Africa make World Cup knockout history in Los Angeles clash

Neither nation has previously reached this stage of the tournament. South Africa, one of nine African teams in the last 32, secured their spot with a 1-0 win against South Korea after an initial 2-0 defeat to Mexico. Canada also advanced but lost their 'home' status by falling 2-1 to Switzerland in their final group game, necessitating their travel to the United States.

Canadian coach Jesse Marsch is banking on the return of Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies, who was sidelined during the group phase due to a hamstring injury. Marsch stated that Davies' return is a significant boost for the team. South Africa's coach Hugo Broos expressed satisfaction with reaching the last 32, calling it a success, but emphasized his team's desire to progress further, believing they have a chance to win if they maintain their mentality and level of play from the South Korea match.

In other tournament news, the Democratic Republic of Congo advanced to the knockout rounds for the first time after a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan, setting up a match against England. Austria and Algeria also secured the final two berths in the last 32 after a 3-3 draw, which eliminated Iran. England defeated Panama 2-0, while Lionel Messi scored his sixth goal of the tournament as Argentina beat Jordan 3-1.