South Korea will compete with host nation Canada for a place in the round of 16 if it secures second place in Group A in its final group-stage match against South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America.
Canada lost 1-2 to Switzerland in its third Group B match at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada, on Thursday, Korean time.
With a record of one win, one draw and one loss, Canada (4 points, plus-5 goal difference) edged out Bosnia and Herzegovina (4 points, minus-1 goal difference), which beat Qatar the same day, on goal difference to finish second in the group and advance to the 32-team tournament. It marks Canada's first-ever advancement to the World Cup knockout stage.
As a result, if Korea draws or wins its third Group A match against South Africa at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico at 10 a.m. to finish second in the group and reach the round of 32, it will face Canada for a round-of-16 ticket at LA Stadium in the United States at 4 a.m. on the 29th.
Bosnia, which finished third in the group, kept its hopes of advancing to the round of 32 alive.
In this tournament featuring 48 nations, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups, plus the eight best-performing third-place teams, advance to the round of 32.
If Bosnia advances to the round of 32, it will face the Group E winner or the Group D winner.
Qatar (one draw, two losses, one point) was eliminated as the fourth-place team in Group B, again failing to reach the knockout stage.
Switzerland tried to take control by raising its possession to 70 percent in the first half, but struggled to break the deadlock.
After the two teams finished the first half scoreless, Switzerland tipped the balance. In the first minute of the second half, a cross delivered by Switzerland's Manzambi from the right passed Embolo and Canadian defenders to reach Ruben Vargas, who struck the back of the net with his right foot without any defensive interference.
Manzambi added another goal in the 12th minute of the second half. When Embolo gave up the ball inside the penalty area, Manzambi finished without hesitation with his right foot.
Host Canada did not back down easily. In the 31st minute of the second half, Nathan Saliba controlled a long pass with an exquisite touch and connected it to the center before the ball hit the ground, and substitute Promise David finished with a right-foot volley.
Canada, which could have clinched first place in the group with just a draw, pushed Switzerland until late in the second half, but the equalizer never came and it ultimately fell to Switzerland.
