[2026 World Cup] If South Korea Secures Second Place in Group A, They Will Face Host Canada in the Round of 32

Canada Falls 1-2 to Switzerland in Final Group Match
Faces Group A Runner-up in Round of 32 on June 29 in LA
Head-to-Head Record with South Korea: 2 Wins, 1 Draw, 2 Losses

If South Korea advances to the Round of 32 as the runner-up of Group A in the 2026 North and Central American World Cup, the team will face co-host Canada.

On June 25, 2026 (Korean time), Canada lost 2-1 to Switzerland in the third Group B match of the 2026 North and Central American World Cup, held at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada. Canada, which only needed a draw to secure first place in the group, finished with one win, one draw, and one loss (4 points), dropping to second place in the group. Switzerland secured the top spot with two wins and one draw (7 points).

Swiss player Ruben Vargas is celebrating after scoring the opening goal in the third match of Group B against Switzerland at the 2026 North America World Cup held at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada on the 25th (Korean time). Photo by AP Yonhap News

As the runner-up of Group B, Canada will play against the runner-up of Group A in the Round of 32 at LA Stadium in Los Angeles, United States, at 4 a.m. on June 29, 2026 (Korean time).

In Group A, Mexico has already secured first place, and South Korea is highly likely to finish second. South Korea will clinch second place and advance to the Round of 32 as long as it draws in the last Group A match against South Africa, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. on June 25, 2026 (Korean time) at Mexico City Stadium in Mexico.

This marks Canada's third appearance in the World Cup finals, following the 1986 and 2022 tournaments, and it is the first time the team has advanced to the knockout stage. In both previous World Cups, Canada was eliminated after losing all three group stage matches.

South Korea and Canada have met five times in A-match history, with both teams recording two wins, one draw, and two losses each.

Canada finished the first half tied 0-0 but conceded in the second half. Shortly after the break, Ruben Vargas of Switzerland scored the opening goal, and in the 57th minute, Johan Manzambi added another. Promise Akinpelu, who was brought on as a substitute in the 66th minute, scored a consolation goal, but Canada could not close the gap any further.

Switzerland, finishing first in Group B, will play a Round of 32 match at noon on July 3, 2026 (Korean time) at BC Place, facing one of the third-place teams from Groups E, F, G, I, or J.

At the same time, in a match held at Seattle Field in Seattle, United States, Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Qatar 3-1.

Like Canada, Bosnia finished with one win, one draw, and one loss but ranked third in Group B due to the head-to-head rule. Bosnia's advancement to the Round of 32 will be determined based on its record compared to other third-place teams from different groups.

In this tournament, the top eight third-place teams out of the 12 groups will advance to the Round of 32.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.