South Africa and South Korea face off in their final Group A clash in the 2026 World Cup at the Estadio Monterrey. While Mexico have already secured the top spot and their ticket to the next round, second place is still up for grabs. South Korea are in the strongest position to progress with three points on the board, and a win would see them safely through to the Round of 32. South Africa must push for victory after collecting just one point from their opening two matches.
South Africa face a massive tactical puzzle ahead of their final group stage match due to critical disciplinary absences in midfield. Head coach Hugo Broos will be forced to reshape his spine as star midfielder Teboho Mokoena sits out due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Adding to Bafana Bafana’s woes, veteran playmaker Themba Zwane remains completely unavailable as he serves the second match of a three-game FIFA suspension. On a positive note, the squad receives a timely boost with the return of Sphephelo “Yaya” Sithole, who has served his one-match ban following a red card in the tournament opener. South Korea, in contrast, are in good physical condition, with head coach Hong Myung-bo confirming that there are no injury concerns. However, due to the demanding heat in Monterrey, some rotation is expected, and Hong has suggested that two or three changes could be made to the usual starting eleven.
South Korea should win this comfortably unless South Africa’s desperation produces something special. A tight first half appears likely, but as South Africa push forward searching for the win they need, spaces should open for the Koreans to exploit. Prediction: South Korea 2–0 South Africa.
Match Details
Match: South Africa vs South Korea
Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026, Group A
Date: Thursday, 25th June. Kick-off: 2am BST. Venue: Monterrey Stadium, Guadalupe, Mexico.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Live Streaming Info
The match will be available on BBC Two in the UK, Fox Sports in the U.S., Zee5 in India and SBS in Australia. SABC will air the match in South Africa, while SuperSport and Sporty TV are other options for viewers in Sub-Saharan Africa. For viewers in South Africa, SuperSport are scheduled to air the game on channels 201, 202, 235, and 490.
Live Streaming Info:
Will be live on Bein Sports 5
Live Score Info:
South Africa vs South Korea , FIFA World Cup 2026: All matches on FlashScore have live scores.
South Africa vs South Korea
Live Score Info: All matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026 are available with live scores on FlashScore.
Head-to-Head
This will be the first ever encounter between South Africa and South Korea. South Korea have won only one of their four World Cup matches against African opposition — against Togo in 2006. Since then, they have drawn one and lost two. South Korea’s four World Cup matches against African opposition have produced 18 goals on average of 4.5 per game. So while there is no long rivalry to draw from, the historical data shows these South Korea vs Africa matchups tend to be high-scoring and entertaining affairs.
South Africa Analysis
South Africa have failed to win any of their last 7 games, drawing 4 and losing 3. South Africa’s campaign started in disastrous fashion with a 2-0 defeat to Mexico, which also saw them see two men sent off. They improved on matchday 2 with a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic. Their only goal so far came from the penalty spot, highlighting a lack of cutting edge in open play.
South Africa completed 508 passes on MD2 vs Czechia, their most ever in a FIFA World Cup game, showing that possession is not the problem — converting it into goals is. The suspensions of Mokoena and Zwane will prove troublesome in midfield, but with the focus on attack, Bafana will need the likes of Appollis and Mofokeng to step up.
Probable XI (4-3-3): Williams; Mudau, Okon, Mbokazi, Modiba; Adams, Sithole, Mbatha; Mofokeng, Rayners, Appollis.
South Korea Analysis
South Korea’s 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is headlined by generational icon Son Heung-min, Bayern Munich star Kim Min-jae, and PSG playmaker Lee Kang-in. Coached by Hong Myung-bo, the Taeguk Warriors rely heavily on this core of Europe-based talent to balance defensive solidity with attacking pace.
South Korea is one of the biggest underperformers in front of goal at the start of this World Cup, scoring twice from an xG of 3.21 according to Opta. Son Heung-min has been uncharacteristically wasteful, failing to score from 1.01 xG. History suggests that Son won’t be kept down for long. Lee Kang-In created the most chances and completed the most dribbles of any player in the MD1 victory against Czechia, then did so again in the defeat to Mexico in MD2.
Probable XI (4-2-3-1): Kim Seung-Gyu; Kim Moon-Hwan, Kim Min-Jae, Seol Young-Woo, Lee Tae-Seok; Hwang In-Beom, Paik Seung-Ho; Lee Kang-In, Lee Jae-Sung, Hwang Hee-Chan; Son Heung-Min.
Tactical Battles
The central duel that is likely to shape this game is South Korea’s attacking midfield trio against South Africa’s defensive block. South Africa sat in a compact shape against Czech Republic and conceded little until the final stages, but Son Heung-min’s movement and Lee Kang-in’s ability to find pockets between the lines create a different kind of problem.
South Africa will come out swinging because they have to, and the early exchanges could be lively, but South Korea’s quality and their counter-attacking threat through Son should ultimately tell. A draw would likely suit Korea and end South Africa’s run, but Korea nicking the win as South Africa push and get caught is the more likely lean.
Fourteen of the last 15 goals scored by South Korea in World Cups have come in the second half, which means the longer this stays tight, the more South Africa will hope — but also the more dangerous Korea’s patient approach becomes.
Form and Trends
South Korea, ranked 25th in the world by FIFA, is 35 places better off than Bafana Bafana, whose desperation for three points should play into their opponent’s hands. South Korea have won each of their last two Matchday 3 fixtures in the group stage at the World Cup, beating Germany 2-0 in 2018 and Portugal 2-1 in 2022. South Africa have never made the knockout rounds of a FIFA World Cup, and this is their fourth opportunity after group stage exits in 1998, 2002, and 2010.
The Opta supercomputer views South Korea as the most likely victors in this match, with 56.2% of its 25,000 pre-match simulations resulting in a win, a draw occurred in 23.5%, while a South Africa win occurred in just 20.3% of simulations. The numbers are clear — South Korea are firm favorites, but football has a way of ignoring the numbers when stakes are this high.