South Africa beat South Korea 1-0 to qualify as Group A runners-up
A Maseko goal in the 63rd and an unbeatable Ronwen Williams sent South Africa to the last 16 in Guadalupe.
South Africa earned a golden 1-0 win over South Korea at the Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, "The Steel Giant" of the Monterrey metropolitan area holding 51,243 spectators, to close the third round of Group A at the 2026 World Cup. Bafana Bafana produced a victory worth qualification to the last 16.
The decisive goal came in the second half. In the 63rd minute, Maseko finished off a Moremi pass to put South Africa ahead, a strike that ultimately earned all three points and a place in the knockout stage. From there, the Africans dropped deep and defended their lead with experience.
The hero of the win was goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams, named man of the match for a flawless display that kept a clean sheet under Korean pressure. South Korea tried until the end but ran repeatedly into the South African keeper's assurance.
Hugo Broos set up South Africa in a 4-2-3-1, while Myung-Bo Hong opted for a Korean 3-4-2-1 that found no reward for its persistence. The match had its edge, with yellow cards for South Africa's Aubrey Modiba (73') and South Korea's Cho Gue-Sung (79').
With this win, South Africa close Group A on four points and qualify as runners-up, behind a Mexico side leading with a perfect record. South Korea, by contrast, finish third on three points and must await the comparison between the best third-placed sides to keep their 2026 World Cup hopes alive.