South Africa’s 1-0 victory over South Korea in Miami confirmed the first knockout-round pairing of the 2026 World Cup, setting up a meeting with Canada on 28 June. The decisive moment came in a tight group-stage finale, where a single goal proved enough to carry Bafana Bafana into the last 16 as Group A runners-up behind Mexico. Canada had already secured their passage from Group B, finishing second to Switzerland after a 2-1 defeat to the Swiss in their final group match. The result crystallised a transcontinental duel that will open the tournament’s knockout phase.

Brazil later stamped their authority on Group C with a 3-0 dismantling of Scotland in Miami, Vinícius Júnior scoring twice and Matheus Cunha adding a third. The Seleção topped the group on goal difference ahead of Morocco, who beat Haiti 4-2 in Atlanta, with former Zenit and Lokomotiv Moscow forward Wilson Isidor on the scoresheet for the Haitians. Both Brazil and Morocco advanced with seven points, while Scotland, on three points, remain in contention as one of the eight best third-placed sides under the expanded 48-team format. The evening’s other matches saw Mexico beat the Czech Republic 3-0 and Bosnia and Herzegovina overcome Qatar 3-1.

Away from the senior tournament, FIFA announced that its inaugural U-15 World Cup, to be held in Azerbaijan from 22 to 31 October, will be open to all 211 member associations. The phrasing was widely interpreted in Moscow and Arab capitals as clearing the path for Russia’s return to international competition for the first time since the blanket ban imposed in February 2022. Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyaryov welcomed the move as “an important step toward the return of Russian teams to international sport,” while the Russian Football Union’s general secretary described it as a return to the principle that “football should remain outside politics.”

European and Arab media noted that the decision follows a pattern of gradual reintegration. UEFA had attempted to readmit Russian youth teams in 2023, only to abandon the plan after several member federations threatened a boycott. The International Olympic Committee has permitted individual Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals, and some sports federations have gone further, restoring national symbols for junior events. FIFA’s move, however, marks the first time a global football competition has explicitly invited all members since the war in Ukraine began, though the senior Russian men’s and women’s teams remain barred from the ongoing World Cup in North America.

For the immediate future, the focus returns to the pitch. South Africa and Canada will meet in the first knockout tie, while Brazil await the identity of their last-16 opponent from the pool of third-placed finishers. The U-15 tournament in Baku, meanwhile, will test the political boundaries of football’s governing body, with the prospect of Russian youth sides lining up against nations that have steadfastly opposed their return.