INGLEWOOD, Calif. \u2013 After decades of waiting, heartbreaks and questions, the\u00a0Canadian men\u2019s national team<\/a> will finally play a FIFA World Cup<\/a> knockout match.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Addressing reporters before Sunday’s Round of 32 clash with South Africa at Los Angeles Stadium (3 pm ET | TSN, RDS; FOX, Telemundo), head coach Jesse Marsch and captain Alphonso Davies were calm \u2013 a quality rarely felt throughout the hectic last two weeks in Vancouver, where Les Rouges faced the pressures of being a tournament co-host nation.<\/p>\n After the opportunity to continue their home journey closed with a\u00a02-1 Group B finale loss<\/a> to Switzerland, Canada were eventually drawn with South Africa, who\u00a0prevailed<\/a> over South Korea later Wednesday to clinch second place in Group A.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, Marsch says Canada are \u201cvisualizing positivity\u201d and considering how the team will respond to the challenge as they look to make more history at the 2026 World Cup and book a Round of 16 date against either the Netherlands or Morocco on July 4 in Houston.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re expecting South Africa to be very intense, to have a fast start, to be excited and spirited for this match. It’s a big moment for their federation and for their team,\u201d Marsch told reporters, with Bafana Bafana also approaching their country\u2019s first World Cup knockout game.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are very clear on the qualities that they have, on what to expect, and it’s also a moment for us where we want to be at our best.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Davies, arguably the most recognizable name in North American soccer, has been a major focus throughout the tournament despite not playing. Yet, there\u2019s a strong chance the Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/a> homegrown alum and Bayern Munich star could make his 2026 tournament debut on Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n Before facing Group B opponents Switzerland and Qatar, Marsch told the media that Davies was \u201cavailable\u201d as he progressed in his recovery from a hamstring strain suffered in early May.<\/p>\n Following the Switzerland match, though, Marsch admitted that as much as Davies wanted to play, he \u201cwas never going to\u201d and that the superstar was nothing but a \u201cdecoy.\u201d<\/p>\n That’s why it was surprising to see Davies behind the podium, calmer than he has been in years of media availability with Canada, speaking about the potential of playing in Les Rouges\u2019 biggest game \u2013 albeit likely to come off the bench.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe first game, watching it, I was eager to get on the pitch,\u201d said Davies, who will likely take the armband from one of the vice-captains,\u00a0Stephen Eust\u00e1quio<\/a> or Jonathan David, if he enters the match.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSecond game, even more so. In the third game, I went to [Marsch] before, and I asked him, ‘Do you think I can get a couple of minutes?’ He could have said yes, but he cares about the team and me, and as human beings as well. So, he sat me down and said, \u2018You haven’t gone through your progressions to get back on the pitch and in the game.\u2019 \u2026 It was painful.\u201d<\/p>\n The rest of Canada\u2019s group is also getting closer to full health, as Marsch expected back in May when he named a 26-man roster<\/a> that featured nine players nursing injuries of various severity.<\/p>\n Center back Mo\u00efse Bombito has made significant strides and could contend for a starting role, while super-sub striker Promise David has also built up his fitness and could contend for more minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cI think pretty much all the players who came into camp with little injuries are now really close to 100% and ready to perform at the highest level,\u201d Marsch said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole idea was to get stronger as the tournament goes on, and as the opponents start to get tougher and tougher, and the moments get bigger and bigger… That’s where we are right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n We\u2019re BACK in BLACK for our Round of 32 matchup \u26ab\ufe0f\ud83e\uddca#CANMNT<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/c2YcToqI57<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) June 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Marsch warned his squad about playing with the passivity shown during Wednesday’s loss to Switzerland.\u00a0<\/p>\n Instead, he wants to see his side look for an early goal, much like Canada did during their historic 6-0 blowout<\/a> of Qatar earlier in the competition.<\/p>\n Those recent experiences, combined with reaching the 2024 Copa Am\u00e9rica semifinals, 2025 Concacaf Nations League semifinals and 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup<\/a> quarterfinals, could set Les Rouges up for success.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the team\u2019s sixth elimination game under Marsch, and while they\u2019ve faltered at points, they believe in their potential on the greatest stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe learned in all the tournament formats that we’ve been in that every moment matters,\u201d Marsch said. \u201cThis is a group that is more committed to each other than just about any team I’ve ever been a part of.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought [the Copa Am\u00e9rica quarterfinal win against] Venezuela was a perfect representation, and then you saw the Qatar match, right? You saw a team that played with such quality, with such commitment, with incredible talent.\u201d<\/p>\n While there still may be uncertainty surrounding Davies, who hasn’t played an official match since May 6, one thing is unmistakably clear: Marsch’s squad understands the magnitude of the opportunity and the chance to launch Canadian soccer into truly uncharted territory.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re going to experience difficulty in the match, we’re going to experience success, and we\u2019re going to have challenges, and the key is that we’re ready to rise to all those challenges and be at our best,\u201d said Marsch.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI live for these moments, and I\u2019m sure Alphonso would tell you the same, where you’re tested, and you can show how good you are. I think our team is ready for that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Making Canada proud. Heading to the knockouts for the first time in men\u2019s history. \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 pic.twitter.com\/c6fo84HbW9<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 24, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n It\u2019s another sign of Canada\u2019s evolution that they\u2019re no longer dismissed as outsiders or newcomers, and that they\u2019re arguably the favorites against South Africa.<\/p>\n Davies and his teammates are well known to Bafana Bafana, whose veteran Belgian coach, Hugo Broos, paid tribute to Marsch\u2019s high-intensity tactics and the accompanying mentality.<\/p>\n \u201cThey’re a physical team; they go for it from the first to the 98 minutes. They are also very tough,\u201d said Broos. \u201cIt means that we will not be one second in peace, because they’re very close to the ball, they are pressing the opponent, they are trying to make you make mistakes, and they do it as a team.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes you have in the team two or three players, when they lose the ball, they are not [defending]. But this is totally different with Canada. The moment they have the ball, everyone is in movement. The moment they lose the ball, everyone wants the ball, to win it back, and that is very difficult to play against.\u201d<\/p>\n Broos has warned his players \u2013 including Chicago Fire FC<\/a> center back\u00a0Mbekezeli Mbokazi<\/a> \u2013 that reaching the Round of 16 would be a \u201cmiracle\u201d for South Africa.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we can make something against that, then we have a big chance to win,\u201d said Broos, who led Cameroon to an Africa Cup of Nations title in 2017.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if we should be dominated by their physical strength, sheer physical power, it will be very difficult to win against them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nDavies return?<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Tournament experience<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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South Africa challenge<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n