Mokoena’s late penalty keeps Bafana Bafana’s World Cup hopes alive

South Africa kept their FIFA World Cup hopes alive after Teboho Mokoena’s late penalty secured a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic in their second Group A match on 18 June 2026.

Bafana Bafana showed determination and resilience after falling behind, with midfielder Mokoena converting from the spot in the 83rd minute to secure a valuable point. The goal marked South Africa’s first FIFA World Cup goal in 16 years and sparked celebrations among supporters at the stadium and back home.

The Czech Republic took the lead earlier in the match and appeared on course to collect all three points. However, South Africa continued to push forward and were awarded a penalty after Thapelo Maseko’s shot struck the hand of Pavel Šulc.

“I think that we played a very good game today, except for the one moment in the beginning of the first half where we did not concentrate or maintain focus. We knew that number five (Vladimír Coufal) had a long throw-in, but we let him surprise us. You know that at this level, you pay for such a mistake. But apart from that, I think that Bafana Bafana had a very good game,” Coach Hugo Broos said after the match.

Mokoena stepped up and calmly converted the penalty to level the score, ensuring South Africa remained in contention for a place in the knockout stages.

The draw leaves South Africa with one point from two matches following their opening defeat to Mexico. Despite facing a difficult path to qualification, the improved performance against the Czech Republic has provided renewed belief ahead of their final group-stage encounter.

Bafana Bafana will now turn their attention to a crucial clash against South Korea on 24 June 2026, knowing that a victory could improve their chances of progressing to the next round.

While qualification remains a challenge, South Africa can take confidence from their fighting spirit, defensive discipline and the historic goal that ended a 16-year FIFA World Cup scoring drought. The result ensures that their hopes of advancing remain alive heading into the final round of Group A fixtures.