Daily FIFA World Cup soccer match updates and news for Black Press Media publications.
Canada’s 2-1 loss to Switzerland on Wednesday sets up a Round of 32 playoff match with South Africa in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 28, noon start time.
With a win or draw in Vancouver, Canada would have clinched top spot in Group B, won by Switzerland instead.
In Group A action Wednesday, South Africa scored a big 1-0 win over Korea Republic in Monterrey, while unbeaten Mexico took down Czechia 3-0 in Mexico City.
In Group C, Brazil triumphed 3-0 over Scotland and Morocco doubled Haiti, 4-2.
Today another six matches are scheduled to avoid “fixing” on the final day of play for Groups D, E and F, with two games in each group played simultaneously at 1 p.m., 4 and 7 p.m., all at stadiums in the U.S.
Matches this week lead to the World Cup knockout phase (Round of 32), which runs Sunday, June 28 to Friday, July 3. With the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams for 2026, 32 teams advance from the group stage — the top two from each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-place finishers.
Prior to Thursday’s games, nine teams are confirmed to play in the coming Round of 32 including Mexico, South Africa, Switzerland, Canada, Brazil, Morocco, United States, Germany and Argentina, with more to be decided later today, Friday and Saturday.
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