South Africa vs South Korea Prediction: Bye bye for Bafana Bafana

In the final round of Group A fixtures at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, South Africa and South Korea lock horns at the Estado BBVA in Monterrey (Wednesday 7pm local, Thursday 2am BST, BBC One), with only a win enough to send the former through to the round of 32; the Taeguk Warriors, meanwhile, can afford to draw.

Below are my South Africa vs South Korea predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

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Team News

It's one in, one out for Hugo Broos' South Africa in the suspension stakes as Sphephelo Sithole returns from the red card ban he served in Bafana Bafana's 2-0 loss to Mexico in the first round of fixtures, while Teboho Mokoena, who scored his country's equaliser in their 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic last Thursday, misses out due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

Themba Zwane, who, like Sithole, was suspended for South Africa's second Group A game against the Czechs, remains unavailable for selection.

World Cup Odds

South Korea boss Hong Myung-bo made one change from the starting XI that lined up against the Czech Republic for the Taeguk Warriors' second match against Mexico, with Kim Moon-hwan selected in place of Seol Young-Woo.

It remains to be seen whether Kim keeps his spot ahead of Seol, but the likes of Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in are much more assured of their positions.

South Africa vs South Korea Odds

South Africa are 9/2, or an 18.2% chance, to secure their first win of Group A, with South Korea 4/6 to claim their second, implying a 60% probability of success, with the draw offered at 11/4.

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Player 2+ Shots - Aubrey Modiba (ZAF) @ 12/5

South Africa left-back Aubrey Modiba hasn't been shy to shoot at this World Cup, recording four shots across Bafana Bafana's first two group games against Mexico (one) and the Czech Republic (three), with all but on one of his efforts coming from outside of the penalty box.

The 30-year-old, who averaged 0.9 shots per game for Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2025/26 South Africa Premier League season, also tried his luck three times in a single Africa Cup of Nations game against Egypt last December.

With his country chasing a win to avoid a group-stage exit, and with fellow long-shot merchant Mokoena out due to suspension, I'm expecting to see more hopeful Modiba attempts in Monterrey.

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To Win to Nil - South Korea @ 7/5

South Africa have only scored once across their first two group games, and their sole strike was a penalty kick converted by Mokoena, who will miss out against the South Koreans.

Bafana Bafana only recorded three shots in their opening match against Mexico, and while they improved significantly in that regard against the Czechs, racking up 17 attempts, no open-play goals rings alarm bells for their decider with South Korea.

The Taeguk Warriors, meanwhile, have conceded just once in each of their first two group games, allowing the Czech Republic and Mexico just seven and eight shots, respectively.

Hong's side kept clean sheets in both of their warm-up friendlies, beating Trinidad & Tobago and El Salvador 5-0 and 1-0, respectively, while they also kept out the USA (2-0), Paraguay (2-0) and Ghana (1-0) in the final of 2025, meaning they head into this game against South Africa having recorded a shutout in half (six) of their last 12 matches.

South Africa, shorn of their only goalscorer in this tournament, Mokoena, are tipped to struggle in the final third again here, with South Korea backed for the win they need to book their spot in the knockout phase.