South Africans are now beating their chests after their historic qualification for the World Cup knockout stage.

They defeated South Korea 1-0 in their Group A match in the early hours of Thursday 25 June.

This victory comes despite a lack of widespread support from football fans across Africa.

Many fans abandoned South Africans at the World Cup to show their displeasure at recent anti-immigrant protests in South Africa, where nationals of other African countries have been targeted.

South African fans say they remain resilient despite the backlash.

The Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos said they have now shut up the "big mouths" in an apparent reference to criticisms and lack of support for his team.

Knockout stage

Broos, a Belgian, said he is ‘’very proud of the performance’’ of the Bafana Bafana who have shown steady improvement in their games.

They were widely written off after their 2-0 loss to Mexico in their opening match, but later battled to a draw against the Czech Republic before beating South Korea in the latest game - thanks to Thapelo Maseko's second-half strike.

This is the first time South Africa have reached knockout stage of FIFA World Cup after failing to get out of the group stage in their previous appearances in 1998, 2002 and 2010. They were the first African country to host the tournament in 2010.

The Bafana Bafana will now face Canada, one of the 2026 World Cup co-hosts, in Los Angeles on Sunday, to seek a place in the round of 16.

Morocco have also qualified for the knockout stage after the Atlas Lions defeated Haiti 4-2 at the Atlanta Stadium in the US.

Among the 10 African teams in the tournament, Côte d'Ivoire are also in a strong position. A win or draw in their final group-stage game against Curaçao will likely secure them a spot in the knockouts.

Tunisia have been eliminated, while the fates of Egypt, Ghana, Cabo Verde, DRC, Algeria and Senegal still hang in the balance.