Czechia vs South Africa
A Group A Match Day 2 must-not-lose at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Ivan Hašek meets Hugo Broos as both teams chase a vital second-game result with Mexico and Korea looming as the group leaders.
Czechia
Europe · Group A
VS
12:00 PM
ET · Jun 18
South Africa
Africa · Group A
Quick Answer
Watch in 30 seconds
📺 Watch Czechia vs South Africa on Fox / Telemundo in the USA, ČT Sport free in Czechia, SABC Sport free in South Africa, BBC iPlayer / ITVX free in the UK, and beIN Sports across MENA.
Date
Jun 18, 2026
Kickoff
12:00 PM ET
Free Watch
ČT · SABC
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🇨🇿 CZE Win
2.10
Draw
3.10
🇿🇦 RSA Win
3.50
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Kickoff Time in Your Country
Czechia vs South Africa kicks off at 12:00 PM ET Thursday, June 18 (same local time in Atlanta, 5:00 PM BST UK, 6:00 PM CEST Prague, 6:00 PM SAST Joburg).
Where to Watch by Country
Official rights holders with free options highlighted in green.
Czechia
South Africa
United States
United Kingdom
MENA Region
Canada
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Es’hailSat 25.5°E / 26°E
Symbol Rate: 27500 · FEC: 2/3 · DVB-S2 8PSK · H = Horizontal · V = Vertical
11013 H11054 H11310 H11350 V11390 H11430 VEs’hailSat 25.5°E / 26°E
Symbol Rate: 27500 · FEC: 5/6 · DVB-S2 · Free Qatar broadcasters
10971 V10971 VArabsat Badr 26°E
Symbol Rate: 27500 · FEC: 5/6 · DVB-S2 (Saudi Arabia)
12169 VEutelsat 8 West B / Nilesat 7°W
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Recent Highlights
Catch up on both teams ahead of kickoff at Atlanta’s spectacular Mercedes-Benz Stadium with its signature aperture roof.
Czechia Recent Form
Qualifier 6-0 vs Gibraltar · 2025
South Africa Recent Form
Qualifier 3-0 vs Rwanda · 2025
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Czechia vs South Africa Prediction
Czechia make their 7th World Cup appearance (and first as Czechia since the Czechoslovakia split, having qualified in 1990, 1994 as Czechoslovakia, then 2006 as Czech Republic). Coach Ivan Hašek took charge in early 2024 and guided them through a turbulent qualifying campaign that ended with European playoff drama: beating Ireland 4-3 on penalties in the semifinal (2-2 AET) and then Denmark 3-1 on penalties in the final (1-1 AET) on March 31, 2026. Captain Tomáš Souček (West Ham, 35 intl goals) anchors the midfield. Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen) is the talisman striker after his 5-goal Euro 2020 campaign including the iconic halfway-line strike vs Scotland. Other stars: Vladimír Coufal (West Ham), Adam Hložek (Hoffenheim, ex-Leverkusen), Lukáš Provod (Slavia Prague), Antonín Barák (Fiorentina). Goalkeeper Jindřich Staněk (Slavia Prague) was the playoff penalty hero. Czechia lost their opener 0-1 to South Korea in Akron on June 11.
South Africa (Bafana Bafana) return for their 4th World Cup appearance, 16 years after their famous 2010 home tournament. Belgian coach Hugo Broos (since 2021, won AFCON 2017 with Cameroon) has revived the team, guiding them to 2023 AFCON bronze and direct qualification by topping CAF Group C (10 games, qualified after beating Rwanda 3-0 on October 14, 2025). Captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns) is the 2023 AFCON Golden Glove winner who saved 4 penalties in the Cape Verde shootout. Stars: Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns, attacking midfield), Teboho Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns, holding mid, qualifying goal scorer), Lyle Foster (Burnley, striker), Mohau Nkota (rising winger), Oswin Appollis (Sundowns winger). South Africa lost their opener 1-2 to Mexico in front of 87,000 at Estadio Azteca on June 11.
Best bet: With both teams losing their openers, this is effectively a knockout game for second place in Group A behind Mexico. Czechia have slightly more individual quality in Souček and Schick but South Africa offer a better collective unit under Broos. The Atlanta heat in mid-June could favour the Bafana side. Czechia have lost only twice in 12 of their last 14 games but those losses were to top-tier opposition. South Africa’s defensive organisation has been excellent. Total record: 4 previous meetings, with South Africa winning 1, Czechia winning 1, and 2 draws. Most recent: 0-0 friendly in Tashkent 2017. Under 2.5 goals has clear value. Lean towards a tight Czechia 2-1 win.
Likely Winner
🇨🇿 Czechia
Total Goals
Over 2.5
BTTS
Yes
Score
2 – 1
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Key Players to Watch
The standout names who could decide this Group A Match Day 2 must-win.
CZECHIA
Coach: Ivan Hašek
Tomáš Souček (C)
Midfielder · West Ham, 35 intl goals
Patrik Schick
Striker · Bayer Leverkusen
Vladimír Coufal
Defender · West Ham
Adam Hložek
Forward · Hoffenheim
Jindřich Staněk
Goalkeeper · Slavia Prague
SOUTH AFRICA
Coach: Hugo Broos
Ronwen Williams (C)
Goalkeeper · Sundowns, 2023 AFCON Golden Glove
Themba Zwane
Midfielder · Mamelodi Sundowns
Teboho Mokoena
Midfielder · Mamelodi Sundowns
Lyle Foster
Striker · Burnley
Mohau Nkota
Winger · Mamelodi Sundowns
Match Venue
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia · FIFA: Atlanta Stadium
Capacity
75,000
Opened
2017
Location
Atlanta
WC Games
8
Opened in 2017 at a cost of $1.6 billion, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the home of the NFL Atlanta Falcons and MLS Atlanta United. Its signature feature is a one-of-a-kind retractable roof made of eight translucent triangular panels that move simultaneously like a camera aperture opening and closing. Located in downtown Atlanta with easy MARTA access via the SEC District station. The stadium hosts 8 World Cup matches including the semifinal on July 15, with Atlanta United regularly drawing 70,000+ fans. Tournament capacity is approximately 75,000.
Head-to-Head Record
Czechia and South Africa have only met 4 times in history, all of which were friendlies. The record is tight: Czechia winning once, South Africa winning once, and 2 draws. The most recent meeting was a 0-0 draw at a tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 2017. With both teams losing their tournament openers, this fixture is now essentially a knockout game for Group A second place.
1
🇨🇿 CZE Wins
2
Draws
1
🇿🇦 RSA Wins
Recent Meetings
🤝 2017 Tashkent Friendly: Czechia 0-0 South Africa
⚽ 2013 Antalya Friendly: South Africa 0-0 Czechia
⚽ 2012 Czech Tour Friendly: Czech Republic 2-1 South Africa
⚽ 2010 South Africa Friendly: South Africa 1-0 Czech Republic
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Frequently Asked Questions
In the United States the match airs on Fox (English) and Telemundo (Spanish), with streaming on FuboTV and Peacock. Czech fans can watch free on ČT Sport and stream on ČT iVysílání. South African viewers get free coverage on SABC Sport, with SuperSport as the paid option. BBC One and BBC iPlayer stream the match free in the UK. CTV is free in Canada. beIN Sports covers MENA.
Kickoff is 12:00 PM ET on Thursday June 18, 2026 (16:00 GMT). Locally in Atlanta it is 12:00 PM EDT. That works out to 9:00 AM PT in Los Angeles, 5:00 PM BST in the UK, 6:00 PM CEST in Prague, 6:00 PM SAST in Johannesburg, 8:00 PM GST in Dubai, and 9:30 PM IST in India.
Yes. ČT Sport is free in Czechia, SABC Sport is free in South Africa, BBC iPlayer and ITVX are free in the UK, ARD/ZDF are free in Germany, CTV is free in Canada, SBS is free in Australia, and Alkass is free across MENA.
Connect ExpressVPN or NordVPN to a Czech server for ČT Sport, a South African server for SABC Sport, a UK server for BBC iPlayer or ITVX, or your home country server while traveling abroad. Only use a VPN with services you legally subscribe to.
Fox carries the English broadcast and Telemundo handles Spanish. You can watch through FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, or Peacock. All Group Stage games air across Fox and FS1.
beIN Sports HD 1 is at 11013 H on Es’hailSat 26°E. The full satellite frequency list is in the section above.
Czechia are slight favourites with their squad of Tomáš Souček (West Ham, 35 intl goals), Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen), Adam Hložek, and Vladimír Coufal. South Africa under Belgian coach Hugo Broos have improved enormously, finishing 3rd at 2023 AFCON and qualifying directly via CAF Group C. Captain Ronwen Williams is the 2023 Golden Glove winner. With both teams losing their openers (Czechia 0-1 vs Korea, South Africa 1-2 vs Mexico), this is essentially a knockout game. Our prediction is 2-1 Czechia.
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More Matches to Watch
Catch the rest of Group A and other key matches on Watch to Football.
🇨🇿 Czechia Group A Matches
🇿🇦 South Africa Group A Matches
More World Cup 2026 Matches
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