Canada defeats South Africa 1-0: The stats that told the story
It was an historic day for Canada at the FIFA World Cup 2026, winning their first-ever knockout match at the tournament 1-0 over South Africa.
The African side put up a brave effort but were on their back feet for much of the match, happy to lay back, try to slow the contest down and weather a relentless Canadian attack.
“I think the performance was really strong and disciplined,” said Marsch. “We didn’t really give much away, and even when their goalkeeper was slowing things down, we didn’t lose our patience.”
While “Bafana Bafana” did have some dangerous chances, Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau stood tall when needed while his teammates smothered the South African offence for much of the afternoon. Jesse Marsch’s side looked deserving of the win, creating the majority chances, proving dangerous on set pieces and controlling the flow of play despite losing overall possession 58% to 42%. They could have scored three or four.
In the end, it was a Stephen Eustáquio strike in the 92nd minute that proved decisive, sending Canada into the Round of 16 and the thousands of Canadian fans in Los Angeles and millions more watching on television into a frenzy.
Here are the eight statistics that defined Canada’s victory:
| SOUTH AFRICA | STAT | CANADA |
| 0.14 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.38 |
| 6 | Total shots | 12 |
| 1 | Shots on target | 7 |
| 1 | Touches in opposition box | 25 |
| 1 | Shots inside box | 9 |
| 8 | Touches in opposition box | 25 |
| 1 | Corners | 4 |
| 0 | Big chances | 4 |
Alphonso Davies
Arguably the most important number of the match for Canada’s chances moving forward was 15. That’s how many minutes Canada’s captain played after making his 2026 World Cup debut in the 75th minute.
Playing an attacking role on the left side, he was dangerous from the minute he stepped on the pitch, nearly setting up a pair of goals and looking every bit the superstar that he is. He changed the match, evening out Canada’s ability to create offence from either side of the field, and forcing South Africa to zero in on him. Fittingly, Eustáquio’s winning goal started from the right side, showing what Davies can do to a team’s defence just with his presence.
Davies has battled injuries for much of the past 18 months and hasn’t played for his country since March 2025 when he tore an ACL in the Concacaf Nations League finals. The Bayern Munich star then injured his hamstring during the Champions League semifinals in early May, putting his World Cup availability into doubt.
But he’s now back, and it couldn’t come at a more important time for Canada. Whether his minutes will be managed in the Round of 16 and beyond is the question on the minds of fans from coast to coast to coast. But, at worst, he can be the superest of super subs, able to change a match in moments with his speed, skill and playmaking.
Canada’s next match is July 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET in Houston, they’ll face the winner of The Netherlands and Morocco, ranked 7th and 6th in the world respectively. It will be the sternest test Canada have faced since Argentina in the 2024 Copa America semifinals.
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| Photo courtesy AP Photo/Andre Penner via Canadian Press Images. Statistics courtesy fotmob.com. |
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