Canada's Captain Returns As Their World Cup Knockout Road Gets Wild

Alright, Emerald City! You feeling that World Cup buzz? Because things are getting absolutely real on Sunday, June 28th, 2026. No more group stage shenanigans, no more second chances. It's Round of 32 time, folks, and for the first time, one loss means you're packing your bags and heading home. And guess who's kicking it off? Our neighbors to the north, Canada, are facing off against South Africa in the only match of the day. Get ready, because it's win or go home, and the stakes couldn't be higher!

An Away Game for a Co-Host? You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

Can you believe this? Canada is one of the World Cup co-hosts, right? But while the U.S. gets to play Bosnia and Herzegovina in San Francisco and Mexico is rocking the Estadio Azteca, Jesse Marsch's squad has to travel all the way to Inglewood, California, to play at SoFi Stadium! That's just wild. They're literally kicking off their knockout run out of their own country. But hey, these Canucks aren't backing down. Forward Tani Oluwaseyi summed it up perfectly, saying, "We really like an away crowd, because it just gives you that extra motivation to prove all the fans around you wrong." Talk about embracing the challenge!

Captain Davies is BACK and South Africa is Ready to Rumble

The biggest news hitting the wire for Canada is all about their c

Trade on Every Game with Kalshi

Click Here to sign up to Kalshi — Free $10 when you sign up using our link or use code: ONTAPSEA. The only federally regulated prediction market in the US. Trade on real sports outcomes. Available in all 50 states.

aptain, Alphonso Davies. This guy sat out all three group games because of a hamstring injury, and we were all holding our breath. But Coach Marsch just confirmed he'll be fit for this one! Marsch knows what that means, too. He said Davies can "have a big impact, both on us physically and football-wise, but also mentally, psychologically, to have our captain back, our best player back in the team." That's huge for their momentum, no doubt. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Ismaël Koné is out with a broken leg, and Stephen Eustáquio is questionable to play. Good news, though: Moïse Bombito will be available. Don't sleep on South Africa either, though. Both teams went 1-1-1 in group play, and Bafana Bafana pulled off a dramatic 1-0 win against South Korea just on Wednesday to secure their spot here. Plus, they're getting Teboho Mokoena back from a red-card suspension. But Themba Zwane will be sitting out one more match after his red against Mexico. This is gonna be a battle! So, who takes it? Canada is favored at -320, but South Africa is no pushover at +250. A tie, by the way, is +260. No matter who wins, one thing is for sure: they're moving on to face either Morocco or the Netherlands on July 4th in Houston. That's a whole other level of challenge! It's World Cup knockout soccer, baby. Get ready for some high-stakes drama on Sunday, airing at 3 p.m. ET on Fox. Don't miss a minute!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.