South Africa's Lyle Foster will be the target man up front. | Photo Credit: AP

Czechia and South Africa would be looking to bounce back from their opening round defeats and pick their first points at the FIFA World Cup 2026 when they face at the Atlanta Stadium on Thursday.

A win for either side or even a point each from a draw will go a long way in solidifying their bid to make it to the knockouts as the third team from Group A.

The two sides have faced off only once before, in 1997 during the Confederations Cup, and that game ended in a 2-2 draw.

Czechia vs South Africa head-to-head record

• Games played: 1
• Czechia: 0
• South Africa: 0
• Draws: 1

Czechia vs South Africa form guide

Czechia: L-W-W-D-D

• South Korea 2-1 Czechia
• Czechia 3-1 Guatemala
• Czechia 2-1 Kosovo
• Czechia 2-2 Denmark
• Czechia 2-2 Ireland

South Africa: L-D-L-D-L

• Mexico 2-0 South Africa
• Nicaragua 0-0 South Africa
• South Africa 1-2 Panama
• South Africa 1-1 Panama
• South Africa 1-2 Cameroon

Czechia vs South Africa Predicted XI:

Czechia (3-4-3): Kovar — Chaloupek, Hranac, Krejci — Coufal, Soucek, Sojka, Zeleny — Provod, Schick, Sulc

South Africa (5-3-2): Williams — Mudau, Okon, Sibisi, Mbokazi, Modiba — Adams, Mbatha, Mokoena — Foster, Rayners

Published on Jun 18, 2026