South Africa is on the board at the 2026 World Cup.
In the 84th minute of Thursday’s Group A game vs. Czechia, South Africa drew the penalty kick inside the 18-yard box, to which Teboho Mokoena converted with a shot into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
It’s the 10th goal for Mokoena in a South Africa jersey, and the second penalty kick converted at the World Cup, with England’s Harry Kane scoring the other.
USA TODAY at the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 World Cup is the largest ever, and USA TODAY is going all in with reporters on the ground in all 16 host cities across three countries to cover 48 teams vying for the trophy. Get our World Cup: Extra Time newsletter in your inbox every morning and join our WhatsApp channel to get the latest updates right in your texts.
All games are being broadcast in the United States on Fox and FS1. Matches will also be broadcast in Spanish throughout the entirety of the World Cup on Telemundo and streaming on Peacock .
Meet Team USA 2026: Get to know the athletes behind the games
World Cup TV Schedule for June 18
All times Eastern and accurate as of Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 6:04 a.m.
- 12:00 PM – Czechia vs South Africa (Group A) on Fox from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
- 3:00 PM – Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B) on Fox from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
- 6:00 PM – Canada vs Qatar (Group B) on FS1 from BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia
- 9:00 PM – Mexico vs South Korea (Group A) on Fox from Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Jalisco
World Cup standings
Explore live group standings, stats and the updated bracket with USA TODAY Sports here.
2026 World Cup format
The 48 competing nations are divided into 12 groups of four. Each group will play a round robin style where teams are awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. The top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 32 along with the eight best third-place squads. Tiebreakers in the group standings will be resolved using the following criteria:
- Greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned
- Superior goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned
- Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned
- Superior goal difference in all group matches
- Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches
- Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained
- The two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA Men’s World Ranking
World Cup groups
- Group A : Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia
- Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
- Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey
- Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
- Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway
- Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
- Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia
- Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
Full rosters for 2026 World Cup teams
World Cup key dates
- Group Stage: June 11-June 27
- Round of 32 : June 28-July 3
- Round of 16 : July 4-7
- Quarterfinals : July 9-11
- Semifinals : July 14-15
- Third-place game : July 18 (Miami Gardens, Florida)
- Final : July 19 (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
