South Africa and Czech Republic seek redemption in World Cup 2026 Group A

South Africa and the Czech Republic face off in the second round of Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, both seeking to recover from opening-match defeats. The match takes place on Thursday, June 18, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, with Brazilian referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio in charge.

South Africa suffered a 2-0 loss to Mexico in their opening game at the Azteca Stadium, a match marked by three red cards—one for Mexico's César Montes and two for South African players Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane. The disciplinary issues force coach Hugo Broos to make changes to his squad. Sithole's suspension is covered by Thalente Mbatha, while Zwane faces a three-game ban and will miss the remainder of the group stage. Broos may call upon Teboho Mokoena or Jayden Adams to fill the midfielder's role.

The Czech Republic enters the match after a 2-1 comeback defeat to South Korea in Guadalajara and holds third place in the group ahead of South Africa on goal differential. The European side is expected to field the same lineup from their opening match. For the loser of this encounter, elimination from the tournament looms large, as the stakes intensify in Group A.

In the other second-round fixture, Mexico hosts South Korea later the same day in Guadalajara. A victory would secure Mexico the group lead and put them within a draw of advancing from a group that has seen 48 teams compete for 32 spots in the final phase. Julian Quiñones, Mexico's standout performer in their opening win, was named man-of-the-match and will lead the attack, while South Korea will rely on veteran striker Son Heung-Min, 33, as their key offensive weapon.