Czech Republic Held As South Africa Strike Late To Share The Spoils

16 Years Later, Bafana Bafana End World Cup Goal Drought With Late Equalizer

South Africa earned their first point at the 2026 World Cup with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Czech Republic at Mercedes-Benz Arena. Both sides came into the Group A clash needing a result after losing their opening matches, and the game delivered tension right to the final whistle.

Czech Republic struck first in the 6th minute through Michal Sadilek, who capitalized on early pressure to give the Europeans the lead. South Africa looked the second-best team for long periods, but they refused to give up. With just seven minutes left in stoppage time, Teboho Mokoena rose to the occasion and leveled matters with a composed finish. The goal ended a 16-year drought for Bafana Bafana, making Mokoena the first South African to score at a World Cup since Katlego Mphela against France in 2010.

The result leaves Czech Republic third in Group A and South Africa bottom, with both teams sitting on one point each. The draw keeps South Africa’s hopes alive, but they now face a must-win situation in their final group game.

Coach Hugo Broos was proud of his team’s character after the match. “This is Bafana Bafana – we love good football, we are aggressive, we create chances,” the head coach said. “Yes, we made mistakes, but I’m very proud of the performance today. Czechia are powerful and very tall. We did very well.”

Broos knows the job is not done yet. “It’s a little bit of a pity that it’s only 1-1, but we just have to win the game against Korea Republic, which will be very difficult too. If we play with the same mentality, it will be possible.”

For South Africa, Mokoena’s late heroics have given the nation belief again. With one game left, Bafana Bafana will be banking on the same aggression and fighting spirit if they are to book a place in the knockout rounds.

World Cup, Group A Standings after 2 matches

🇲🇽 Mexico (1st) – 6 pts, 2W 0D 0L
🇰🇷 South Korea (2nd) – 3 pts, 1W 0D 1L
🇨🇿 Czech Republic (3rd) – 1 pt, 0W 1D 1L
🇿🇦 South Africa (4th) – 1 pt, 0W 1D 1L

Mexico leading the group with a perfect record
Korea sitting comfortably in 2nd
Czech and South Africa still in the fight

Next up on June 25th (Thursday): Mexico vs Czech Republic and South Korea vs South Africa. Group A could shake up fast