Teboho Mokoena Keeps Bafana Bafana’s FIFA World Cup Hopes Alive
Bafana Bafana still have a chance of progressing to the knock-out stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After their encounter with the Czech Republic on the 18th of June, which resulted in the teams finishing the match one goal apiece, the South Africans have one point on the board and trail the Czech in the standings of Group A by goal difference alone.
Coming into the match, the teams had last met 29 years ago at the King Fahd International Stadium in Saudi Arabia for the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, a match that ended in a two-all stalemate. For their Atlanta match, the Czech Republic got off the mark as early as the sixth minute, thanks to a goal from Michal Sadilek.
Teboho Mokoena celebrating the equaliser | Credit: FIFA
Bafana straggled behind The Repre for much of the game until winger Thapelo Maseko conjured up a moment of magic when he took on defender Pavel Sulc, resulting in a penalty. Midfielder Teboho Mokoena stepped up to the plate and converted the penalty into Bafana’s first goal at the World Cup and a goal that would prove to be the game-changing equaliser.
With the draw, Bafana kept their hopes alive, with one more match remaining against the South Koreans on the 24th of June 2026, a crunch fixture in Guadalupe at the Estadio BBV. The Koreans will be looking for a win to secure their berth at the knockout stages, while a win for Bafana will see the boys leapfrog the Tigers of Asia by a point in the standings, guaranteeing them a spot in the knockout phase, even if the Czech Republic pull off a win against the Mexicans on the final group stage match.