Canada will face South Africa in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the match scheduled for Sunday at 10 p.m. Doha time. Although Canada co-hosted the tournament and had hoped to play on home soil, the game will take place in Los Angeles, where South Africa, also known as Bafana Bafana, awaits.

Canada finished second in Group B following a loss to Switzerland in their final group match, which secured the Swiss team a first knockout stage game in Vancouver. Despite not having the advantage of home support, Canadian forward Tani Oluwaseyi expressed confidence in the team’s ability to perform in challenging environments.

“We really like an away crowd, because it just gives you that extra motivation to prove all the fans around you wrong,” Oluwaseyi said during a media session at Canada’s training base. He highlighted the squad’s recent experience competing in the United States, referencing their participation in major tournaments such as the 2024 Copa America and the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which were hosted or co-hosted by the U.S.

Oluwaseyi noted the team’s development and growing cohesion through these competitions as key factors contributing to their current World Cup success. “We’ve done Copa together, we did the Gold Cup as well. So I think it’s just growing together and failing together, succeeding together,” he said. “All those things kind of brew together to put us in the position that we’re in now, to head into a knockout game at a World Cup.”

Head coach Jesse Marsch’s squad has forged strong internal bonds, a factor emphasized by Oluwaseyi as more about unity than an adversarial mindset against opponents. “I wouldn’t say it has a lot to do with us against them — I think, for us, it’s always just been us, that’s really all that matters,” he remarked. “The results, they go our way, sometimes they don’t, but at the end of the day, I think it’s just the love that we have being around each other and playing with each other.”

Defender Tajon Buchan echoed that sentiment, expressing the team’s focus on advancing in the knockout phase. South Africa earned their place in the Round of 32 by finishing second in Group A, behind Mexico by five points. “Now we’re in a knockout phase of a World Cup, and it’s exactly where we want to be,” Buchan said. “It’s just about going out there, competing and winning games. We’re all super excited and looking forward to it.”

The upcoming match in Los Angeles will be a critical test for Canada as they aim to build on their tournament progress away from home turf.