Match at a glance
RSA / KOR13Attempts8
4On target3
31.6%Possession68.4%
81.5%Pass accuracy89.2%
7Fouls committed9
1Yellow cards1
0Red cards0
4Corners6
South Africa 1–0 South Korea: 2026 World Cup match result
2026 Group Stage · Group AAsk about this match
South Africa won in normal time
- Thapelo Maseko63'
Match in one glance
South AfricaSouth KoreaGoalCard
South Africa
South Korea
0′HTFT
First half0′–45′Second half45′–90′
How the lead moved
RSA KOR- 63'
Thapelo Maseko1 RSA
South Africa led for the closing passage. Plotted from recorded goal times only — per-minute pressure is not in the source data.
Recorded standouts
Source actions, no ratings- 1TMThapelo Maseko 1 goal · 1 on target
- 2TMTshepang Moremi 1 assist · 1 fouls won
- 3KSKim Seung-Gyu
3 saves - 4
Ronwen Williams 2 saves - 5EMEvidence Makgopa 1 on target · 1 fouls won
What separated the teams
Finishing
South Africa had the scoring edge
7.7%Goal conversion0.0%
Territory
Possession and shot volume told different stories
31.6%Possession68.4%
Defensive workload
South Africa made more recorded interventions
57Saves, interceptions, clearances23
Straight from the completed match report — no xG, tracking or player ratings.
Complete match timeline
South AfricaSouth KoreaGoalCardSubstitution
South Africa
South Korea
0′HTFT
First half0′–45′Second half45′–90′
Event feed
9 eventsKey phases
Goals in each periodFirst half
0′–45′0 – 0No goals in this period
Second half
45′–90′1 – 0T. Maseko 63'
South Africa
4-2-3-1
20Khuliso Mudau
6Aubrey Modiba
21Ime Okon
14Mbekezeli Mbokazi
13Sphephelo SitholeTM
5Thalente MbathaTM
12Thapelo MasekoRM
10Relebohile MofokengOA
7Oswin AppollisEM
17Evidence MakgopaListed formation · positions are schematic
South Korea
3-4-2-1KS
1Kim Seung-GyuSY
22Seol Young-WooLT
13Lee Tae-SeokPS
8Paik Seung-HoHI
6Hwang In-BeomOH
18Oh Hyeon-Gyu
19HH
11Hwang Hee-ChanListed formation · positions are schematic
Select a player portrait to see the recorded shirt number, position and lineup context.
Attendance51,243
RefereeFacundo Tello
RSA4-2-3-1
KOR3-4-2-1
Result statusFull time
Complete performance breakdown
RSAKOR
Attacking output
Volume, accuracy and finishing from the recorded attempts.
13Attempts8
4On target3
4Blocked shots1
30.8%Shot accuracy37.5%
7.7%Goal conversion0.0%
Goals divided by attempts
Possession & passing
Control, circulation and progression of the ball.
31.6%Possession68.4%
277Passes completed641
81.5%Pass accuracy89.2%
1Crosses completed7
19Long balls completed29
Defensive work
Interventions made without treating workload as quality by itself.
2Saves3
7Tackles won9
60%Tackle success80%
15Interceptions4
40Clearances16
Discipline & pressure
Fouls, cards, offsides and set-piece pressure.
7Fouls committed9
3Offsides0
1Yellow cards1
0Red cards0
4Corners6
What separated the teams
Finishing
South Africa had the scoring edge
7.7%Goal conversion0.0%
Territory
Possession and shot volume told different stories
31.6%Possession68.4%
Defensive workload
South Africa made more recorded interventions
57Saves, interceptions, clearances23
Straight from the completed match report — no xG, tracking or player ratings.
Recorded standouts
Source actions, no ratings- 1TMThapelo Maseko 1 goal · 1 on target
- 2TMTshepang Moremi 1 assist · 1 fouls won
- 3KSKim Seung-Gyu 3 saves
- 4Ronwen Williams 2 saves
- 5EMEvidence Makgopa 1 on target · 1 fouls won
- 6PJPark Jin-Seop 1 on target · 1 fouls won
- 7OHOh Hyeon-Gyu 1 on target
- 8TMThalente Mbatha 1 on target
- 9
Kim Min-Jae 1 on target - 10OAOswin Appollis 1 on target
Player leaders
Who led the recorded actions
1
GoalsThapelo Maseko
TM
Thapelo Maseko1
AssistsTshepang Moremi
TM
Tshepang Moremi5
ShotsThapelo Maseko
TM
Thapelo Maseko1
On targetThalente MbathaEvidence MakgopaOswin Appollis
TM
Thalente MbathaEM
Evidence MakgopaOA
Oswin Appollis4
Fouls wonThapelo Maseko
TM
Thapelo Maseko3
SavesKim Seung-Gyu
KS
Kim Seung-GyuDecisive moments
1 eventsTournament path
How both teams reached this match
S. AfricaKoreaGroup A impact
Table immediately after this result
5 of 6 group matches included.
PosTeamPGDPts
1
Mexico12+36
Mexico12+362S. Africa43-14
S. Africa43-143Korea23-13
Korea23-134
Czechia32-11
Czechia32-11Snapshot ordering uses points, goal difference and goals scored. It is contextual, not a replacement for FIFA's complete tie-break procedure.
All-time World Cup meetings
S. Africa vs Korea, across editions
1RSA wins
0Draws
0KOR wins
1meetings
1–0goal balance
0knockout meetings
Source: ESPN completed match report, retrieved Aug 18, 2026. Derived percentages are calculated from the displayed source values; missing fields are omitted rather than estimated.
Source: ESPN completed match report. Tournament context cross-checked against FIFA sources listed in the dataset.