Cyril Ramaphosa congratulates Canada after Bafana Bafana World Cup exit

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, congratulated Canada late on Sunday night after the Canucks defeated Bafana Bafana 1–0 in their Fifa World Cup 2026 Round of 32 clash in Los Angeles.

A late strike from midfielder Stephen Eustáquio was enough to dump coach Hugo Broos and his team out of the tournament after a historic run, which saw the nation progress beyond the group stages of the showpiece event for the first time.

“Well done Canada on proceeding to the Round of 16 in the Fifa World Cup, with Bafana Bafana breathing down your necks,” Ramaphosa posted, on his social media, after the match concluded.

Well done, @TeamCanada, on proceeding to the Round of 16 in the #FIFAWorldCup, with @BafanaBafana breathing down your necks.

We remain justifiably proud of Bafana Bafana’s historic advancement to the last 32 of the world’s best under the transformative leadership of coach Hugo…

— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) June 28, 2026

“We remain justifiably proud of Bafana Bafana’s historic advancement to the last 32 of the world’s best under the transformative leadership of coach Broos. But, well done again, Canada, and we wish you well on the pitch and as co-hosts for the remainder of this thrilling competition.”

Bafana enjoyed more possession during the match (58%) and made more passes (538–392) — with a higher pass accuracy (86%–82%) — but were unable to engineer momentum and creative attacking options to unlock the Canadian defence during the match.

They managed just two shots on target to the Canadians’ seven and were largely ineffective in the final third, offering very little attacking threat. Nonetheless, they enjoyed moments of control and dogged defence against the higher-ranked World Cup co-hosts.

Their progression to the Round of 32 was also a significant step forward for South African football, no doubt driven by Broos’ mentorship. The 74-year old refused to comment on his retirement after the match, kicking the can down the road regarding that particular decision.