No more ties.
From here on out, the World Cup knockout rounds mean only one team will emerge as the victor and advance to the next round, while the other heads home.
Single-elimination play begins on Sunday when Canada faces South Africa in Inglewood, California, in the first of 16 matches after the field of 48 was trimmed to 32 with the completion of group-stage matches late Saturday night.
The Canada-South Africa match features a little bit of history.
Both teams will be making their first appearances in a World Cup knockout match. Both finished second in their respective groups with identical 1-1-1 records over three matches.
They will have the stage to themselves as the only match of the day. Three more matches are scheduled for Monday: Brazil-Japan, Germany-Paraguay and Netherlands-Morocco.
“Every moment matters,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch said of the single-elimination match. “And certainly when you get to the knockout phase the ability to have full concentration on the task at hand, to understand the opponent and tilt things in our favor is very important. And the discipline, to make sure you don't get yourself in trouble with cards or bad penalties.”
That said, Marsch wants his team to open the game aggressive, unlike its 2-1 loss to Switzerland in group play.
“We are clear on the qualities (South Africa) has, and we are very clear on what to expect,” Marsch said. “And this is also a moment where we want to be at our best.”
— South Africa vs. Canada, 3 p.m. EDT in Los Angeles (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)
Marsch said team captain and star left back Alphonso Davies will make his 2026 World Cup debut on Sunday.
Davies has not played in a match since early May due to a hamstring injury he sustained playing for Bayern Munich in a Champions League semifinal.
“We talked about from a physical perspective getting stronger as the tournament went on and now that we have Alphonso back and ready to perform it is a big moment for the team and a big boost for the team,” Marsch said.
Marsch told reporters he expected Davies to play in the team's group-stage finale against Switzerland in Vancouver, but that turned out just to be gamesmanship. He had no plans to play Davies.
Davies had asked to bring a personal trainer to join him at the World Cup and Marsch agreed. He has been working on the side with the trainer during recent practices.
Davies said there has been “open communication” between himself, the trainer and the team during the rehab process and he feels ready to go.
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Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku had a goal and assist with just five touches against New Zealand, the first player with two goal involvements with as few as five touches since at least 1966, according to Opta.
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AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham and Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
