Czechia face South Africa with World Cup hopes on the line

Czechia face South Africa on Thursday in a match that will define their 2026 World Cup. The 2–1 loss to South Korea in the opener leaves zero margin, anything short of a result and the knockout stage is out of reach. South Africa are also on zero points after their first match, so both sides treat this as a final. Hwang In-Beom's late winner for South Korea still stings, but the focus now is forward. Kick-off is June 18.