South Africa vs Canada

South Africa scraped through Group A as runners-up with just two goals scored across three matches, relying on defensive resilience and a penalty to edge past Egypt. Canada, by contrast, emerged from Group B with real attacking verve — their eight goals and a 6-0 demolition of Vanuatu showcase a deep, pacy forward line. The loss of midfield anchor Ismaël Koné to a lower-leg fracture is a blow, but Canada's xG of 2.2 per game dwarfs South Africa's 0.85, underlining a gulf in creative output. The key battle is whether South Africa's cautious, low-block approach can frustrate a Canadian side that has already proven it can dismantle weaker defenses, but Bafana Bafana have yet to face a team with this level of attacking depth in the tournament.