Co-hosts Canada and South Africa will both make World Cup history when they meet in the opening game of the knockout round on Sunday.
Neither nation has ever reached this stage of international football’s showpiece event and they could not have asked for a grander stage than the spectacular SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
South Africa are one of nine African sides to have reached the last 32, making the continent the major beneficiary of the expanded 48-team format.
The Bafana Bafana looked dead and buried in a 2-0 defeat to Mexico in the tournament opener but a spirited 1-0 win against South Korea fired them into uncharted territory.
Canada celebrated going through too — but slipping to a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland in their final group game cost them their ‘home’ status that the group winner would have enjoyed.
So they have been forced to head to the United
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