South Africa and the Czech Republic played a Group A match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 18, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia, ending in a 1-1 draw [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9].
The Czech Republic took the lead early with midfielder Michal Sadilek scoring in the 6th minute [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9]. South Africa equalized in the 83rd minute through a penalty converted by Teboho Mokoena after a handball foul by Czech player Pavel Sulc, who blocked a shot inside the box from South African player Thapelo Maseko [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. The penalty was awarded following the handball by Sulc [4, 5, 8, 9].
Mokoena’s goal marked South Africa’s first World Cup goal in 16 years and their first in this tournament [7, 8, 9]. Both teams had lost their opening matches on June 12, with South Africa falling 2-0 to Mexico and the Czech Republic losing 2-1 to South Korea [1, 2, 6, 5].
After the draw, South Africa and the Czech Republic each have 1 point in Group A, trailing group leaders Mexico and South Korea, who have 3 points each [1, 2, 7, 6, 8, 9]. South Africa will face South Korea in their next group match, while the Czech Republic will take on Mexico [5, 7, 6, 8, 9].
The match was held at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia and officiated by an all-female referee team led by Tori Penso [1, 2, 6, 8, 9].
South Africa’s head coach Hugo Broos said the team played an "exceptional game," noting the squad dominated the second half and that the equalizer kept their hopes of advancing alive. He added, "Except for the moment at the start of the first half, I think we played a very good match today... we almost controlled the game against the Czech team in the second half" [7]. Czech head coach Miroslav Koubek responded shortly with, "This will be different" [3].
South Africa and the Czech Republic will both look to improve their standing in their final group matches scheduled after this game.
