Canada and South Africa Ready for Historic World Cup Knockout Match

Canada and South Africa will make World Cup history when they clash in the knockout round on Sunday.

This is the first time either country has made it this far in the World Cup. They could not have asked for a better venue than the stunning SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

South Africa is one of nine African teams to reach the last 32. This shows how much the continent has gained from the expanded 48-team format.

The Bafana Bafana looked like they were out of the tournament after losing 2-0 to Mexico in their first match. But they bounced back with a strong 1-0 win over South Korea, pushing them into new territory.

Canada is also celebrating their advancement. They lost 2-1 to Switzerland in their final group game, which meant they lost their chance to play 'at home' as the group winner.

Now, they have to travel to the United States for their knockout match.

Their American coach Jesse Marsch is hoping the return of superstar Alphonso Davies will lift his team for the game on Sunday.

Davies, who plays for Bayern Munich, missed the entire group stage due to a hamstring injury. Marsch expressed excitement about having the star back on the field.

"Now that we have Alphonso back and healthy and ready to perform, I think it’s a big moment for the team and a big boost for the team," Marsch said on Saturday.

"He’s a big X factor for us," he added.

Marsch believes having Davies on the pitch will boost the team's confidence. "The belief they have in him, the belief he has in himself, I think changes the possibility of what the potential of our team is, and what we can do in this tournament," he said.

South Africa’s experienced Belgian coach Hugo Broos said reaching the last 32 means "we can say already now that the World Cup is a success for us." But he made it clear that his team wants to go even further.

"That doesn’t mean now that we are happy and that we just play the game tomorrow and go home. Once you are there, you want more, and we want to win the game tomorrow," he said.

Broos believes that if his team can show the same spirit and level of play as they did against South Korea, they have a good chance to win. "Even if Canada is a very tough team," he added.