Reaching the playoffs was already a historic achievement for both South Africa and Canada, and even more noteworthy for fans of these two teams was the certainty that one of them would advance – something that few fans of either team had probably considered before the 2026 World Cup began, simply because South Africa and Canada had never progressed beyond the group stage in previous World Cups.
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| The Canadian team defeated the South African team in the first playoff match. |
Therefore, regardless of which team advances and how far they go, it will be a step that will be etched into the history of their country's football, and in this case, it would be for the Canadian team with their dramatic victory in the 90+2 minute, with the only goal of the match scored by Stephen Eustaquio, a player currently playing for Los Angeles FC, a club in the MLS (American national league). Advancing to the second playoff round of a World Cup is already the best result in the history of Canadian football.
However, that positive outcome, unfortunately, was only for football fans in those countries, not for football fans following the 2026 World Cup in general, because the match between South Africa and Canada did not deliver the high level of professionalism that a World Cup playoff match should have. In reality, one cannot expect more when both teams, not particularly strong, secured their place in the next round due to the reduced competitiveness of the group, given that the number of participating countries had reached 48.
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| It cannot be said that the match between the Canadian and South African teams was of high professional quality. |
This could be considered predictable given the number of teams participating in the World Cup reached 48, meaning the first playoff round would be the round of 16, and the second playoff round would be the round of 8. Thus, the second playoff round of the 2026 World Cup would be equivalent to the first playoff round of previous World Cups. And with the opportunity to advance to the playoffs now available to 32 teams, instead of 16 as before, it's obviously impossible to demand a correspondingly higher level of competition.
This issue has been repeatedly raised before the 2026 World Cup begins. As the number of participating teams and matches increases, the number of matches with lower professional quality will inevitably increase. Fans should also be prepared to wait until the Round of 16 playoffs to witness the high-stakes matches, the top-tier games, and the intense battles of wits that World Cup playoffs should offer.
Of course, increased chances of qualifying for the World Cup will create more opportunities for historic moments in football history for many nations, such as what Canada has just achieved. But along with that come lackluster matches, matches where neutral football fans feel… neither team deserved to advance.
Looking at the other matches in the Round of 16, it's probably difficult to expect consistent professional quality in this playoff round. Football fans can only accept this as a given and hope for better results in the later rounds.
CAO DUY
Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/the-thao/the-thao-quoc-te/202606/nhat-nhoa-8bf1cfb/
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