South Africa’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup suffered another setback after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Czechia in Atlanta on Thursday.
Needing a positive result following their opening defeat to Mexico, Bafana Bafana salvaged a point through a late penalty from captain Teboho Mokoena, but the result leaves their qualification hopes hanging by a thread heading into the final round of Group A matches.
Czechia made the brighter start and took the lead after just six minutes through Michal Sadílek. A well-worked move saw Alexandr Sojka provide the assist before Sadílek drilled a low effort beyond goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to register the fastest goal of the tournament so far.
The Europeans dominated the opening exchanges and could have doubled their advantage, with Patrik Schick missing a golden opportunity inside the opening minute before Williams was called into action on several occasions to keep South Africa in the contest.
South Africa gradually settled into the match and enjoyed more possession as the first half progressed, but clear-cut opportunities proved difficult to come by. Thapelo Maseko came closest before the break, while Matej Kovar produced important interventions to preserve Czechia’s lead.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Czechia threatening on the counterattack while South Africa searched for an equaliser. Williams continued to impress between the posts, denying efforts from Lukas Cerv and Schick to keep the deficit at a single goal.
With time running out, South Africa finally found a way back into the match. In the 81st minute, substitute Pavel Sulc was penalised for handling the ball inside the area after a Maseko effort struck his arm. Referee Tori Penso pointed immediately to the spot.
Mokoena stepped up and calmly dispatched the penalty into the bottom corner, sending Kovar the wrong way and sparking wild celebrations among the South African supporters.
Both sides pushed for a winner during seven minutes of added time. South Africa nearly completed the turnaround when Evidence Makgopa forced Kovar into a late save, while Czechia also threatened through Ondrej Provod and David Schulz.
However, neither side could find a decisive breakthrough as the match ended level.
The result leaves both nations facing an uphill battle to qualify for the Round of 32. South Africa now have one point from two matches and must secure a positive result in their final group game against South Korea, while also hoping other results go in their favour.
For Hugo Broos’ side, the late equaliser may yet prove crucial, but after two matches without a victory, Bafana Bafana’s World Cup future is no longer entirely in their own hands.
