Kick-off on June 18, 2026, at 19:00.

In the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, Czechia will face South Africa at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The opponents’ only previous meeting took place in 1997 at the Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia. At that time, the Czech side participated as the runner-up of the European Championship after replacing Germany, which declined to take part, while the African team arrived at the tournament as the Africa Cup of Nations winner. That match ended in an entertaining 2-2 draw. The Europeans led thanks to a first-half brace from Vladimír Šmicer, but conceded the equalizer in the 86th minute.

Czechia has qualified for the FIFA World Cup final stage for only the second time in its modern history after making its debut in 2006. In the main qualification round, the team finished second in its group and narrowly stayed ahead of the Faroe Islands. During the playoff matches, the national side was led by new head coach Miroslav Koubek. In the semifinal, the Czech side advanced past Ireland by winning a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw, and in the decisive clash for a World Cup spot, it defeated Denmark.

Watch Czechia vs South Africa online on 18.06.2026 on MEGOGO.

South Africa has arrived at its fourth FIFA World Cup, with the national team first appearing at this level in 1998. In the current qualification cycle, the squad secured direct qualification for the final stage only in the last round of the campaign. The battle in the standings was extremely tight, and Benin, which led the group before the final round, finished just one point behind and ultimately failed even to reach the continental playoff zone. The main attacking leader for the visitors was forward Oswin Appollis, who recorded six goal contributions during qualification.

Watch the live stream of Czechia vs South Africa online on 18.06.2026 on MEGOGO.

Watch all matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup online on MEGOGO.