Day 18 saw the first knockout game of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and it was a historic one for co-hosts Canada.
We’ve recapped all the happenings from Sunday’s action.
Canada claim dramatic late win to reach Round of 16
Canada had lost all six of their previous World Cup games before this summer’s tournament, in which Jesse March’s side entered as co-hosts.
After breaking their duck with a 6-0 thrashing of Qatar, Canada secured progress to the knockout rounds and kicked off the latter stages against South Africa on Sunday. Both teams were into the World Cup knockouts for the first time, and a tight game of few chances was decided dramatically in the final seconds
Canada captain Stephen Eustaquio scored a 92nd-minute winner to send Canada into the Round of 16, with the on-loan Los Angeles FC midfielder drilling in a low strike from the edge of the area in Los Angeles.
3 – Stephen Eustaquio is the third active #MLS player to score a goal in a knockout round match at the FIFA World Cup, joining Landon Donovan (2) and Brian McBride.
Hero. pic.twitter.com/U2yVuMZkTc
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) June 28, 2026
The fixture also saw Canada talisman Alphonso Davies make his first appearance of the tournament from the bench, with the Bayern Munich star now in contention for a last-16 showdown against either the Netherlands or Morocco.
That fixture will take place in Houston on Saturday, 4 July.
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