Knockouts Begin with Canada vs South Africa | Day 18 Preview | Morning Cupdate, Presented by The Home Depot

0:00For nearly two decades, almost as long as Tim Ream has been in the US Men's National Team, Allstate has backed the growth of this game in every corner of this great footballing nation. From grassroots pitches to the biggest stages, they've been here, believing in it, protecting its future, because supporting soccer, it's not just about match days. And that's why Allstate offers affordable coverage at personalised rates, so you can spend less time worrying and more time watching. Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds. Visit allstate.com or call a local agent today. Allstate, you're in good hands.

0:36Potential savings vary subject to terms and availability. Allstate North America Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. We are delighted to bring you the Men in Blazers City Guides presented by Visa. A joyously assembled guide to the best places to eat, drink and explore and watch the beautiful game across the country. It's a guide aimed at helping fans experience the city as a local. It's built by you, our listeners, recommending some of the best small businesses in your communities. Like the finest Viet Cajun in Houston. Yes. The best burrito in San Francisco. Yes. Where to savour lemon pepper wet in Atlanta.

1:16Yes, yes, yes. A massive shout out to our sponsor Visa, who's made this guide possible. Visa gives local business owners the tools and support to be ready for moments exactly like this one, welcoming you to enjoy the games this summer. Start planning your journey at meninblazers.com backslash cityguides. Lays, an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026, is also the official sponsor of all bandwagon fans during this euphoric summer of footballing wonder. And this summer, they're inviting all of us to jump on because come kickoff, hope springs eternal. My cold, dark heart grows three sizes every FIFA World Cup.

1:55The ebullient Moroccans, the splime Spanish, you can't help but fall in love again and again. So ask grandma if perhaps you'll won 16th French, Brazilian or Japanese. Adopt a new anthem, borrow a new flag, embrace that bandwagon. Because when your team goes home, the party doesn't have to. Grab a bag of leis, gather some friends and cheer for whoever you damn well like. Guys, the group stages are over. 16 teams have been sent home. It is perfectly set up for the round of 32. And what better way to celebrate finally reaching the knockouts than celebrating with some LA tacos. Thank you. Oh, and I've got a churro.

2:38Lovely. Thank you very much. Vamos Mexico. Exactly. I've got a right old feast there, haven't I? OK, so we've got one game coming up because the knockouts are finally here. It's Canada against South Africa. What do you mean? I don't have wall-to-wall football to watch all day. How am I going to cope? Anyway, here is your ultimate guide to day 18 of the World Cup.

3:06Ah, you get fed well in America, you do. Hello and welcome to Morning Cup Date, built by the Home Depot. Our last show in LA before we're off to Atlanta. Drop those recommendations into the comments section on YouTube, everybody. Now, the Home Depot is your winning assist to host the ultimate watch party with fast free delivery to get your backyard match day ready, subject to availability. Now, every round of 32 match at the World Cup is confirmed. We had our final six group games yesterday. So here's what happened. We have to start with hands down the most chaotic game of the tournament so far.

3:40Austria against Algeria. Now, this was an interesting one because as a draw, we'd have seen both teams progress at the expense of Iran. However, if either side lost, they would lose their place in the round of 32 to Iran. So happy days for both sides because it was two all after Riyad Mahrez got an equaliser in the 60th minute for Algeria. From then on, it was pretty tame. Algeria passing about at the back, both teams content with a point. This inspired knowing comparisons to the infamous 1982 disgrace of Guijón match, which we covered on yesterday's show when West Germany and Austria colluded to fix a 1-0 win that saw both sides progress from the group at the expense of, ironically, Algeria.

4:23Now, this game looked as if it was going to end in a similar fashion, but Riyad Mahrez, well, he had other ideas, putting Algeria ahead in the 93rd minute. Such a long time since Austria made the knockouts in our World Cup finals. Hold on, no. Hold on. And the old man is, who's just ripped up the script. Austria thought they were out, and the fans in the stadium were absolutely stunned. It was wild, I know, but we're not done there, everybody. Sascha Kaleidich was subbed on for Austria two minutes later, and guess what? Yep, he only went and equalised. So in the end, it was heartbreak for Iran, and after all of that, this one ended in a 3-all draw, a World Cup classic.

5:07you'll remember this. 2026 World Cup, this group stage match. Amazing. Here are the scenes of disbelief in Austria when the equaliser went in.

5:23In the other half of Group J, Argentina completed their perfect sweep with a 3-1 win against Jordan. Lionel Messi made history yet again by becoming the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup games. What? insane. It was a very cheeky free kick as well. England's game against Panama was a lot less entertaining in Group L. I won't lie, the first hour of this match was a complete and utter snooze fest. But you can always rely on Jude Bellingham. He put England ahead from a corner before Harry Kane doubled their lead just five minutes later. Here are the scenes of pure relief from a fan park in England.

6:06It's coming home. It means Harry Kane is now England's all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with 11 overtaking Gary Lineker. So an unconvincing tuna win for England, perhaps? And there's more injury worries as well. Deputy right-back Joël Kwansa in for the injured Rhys James was forced off in the second half. You've got to feel for Thomas Tuchel, haven't you? That injury list is growing. After topping the group England will face DR Congo in Atlanta next week. We're going to be there, by the way. Group L also saw a clash between Croatia and Ghana in Philadelphia. Croatia got over the line in style with a 2-1 win, confirming them as runners-up in the group.

6:44And it is safe to say the Croatian faithful in Philly very much enjoyed that one. You want to go on! Go away! Go away! Go away! Go away! Croatia's reward is a clash against Portugal in Toronto on Thursday, whilst Garner, who got a third-place spot, will take on Colombia on Friday in Kansas City. Speaking of Colombia and Portugal, these already qualified nations went toe-to-toe in a tense fight for top spot in Group K. Despite the fact there were no goals in this one, it was very entertaining, mainly due to the electric atmosphere, thanks to the thousands of Colombia fans in attendance.

7:31We've seen some good stadium marches this tournament, haven't we? Colombia actually thought they'd won it in the 90th minute after Davinson Sanchez headed one home, but it was controversially offside. It was very tight. Former England striker Wayne Rooney was convinced the goal should have stood. It's onside. I don't care what they're telling me and what information they give me. That is onside. Well, Colombia topped the group anyway. elsewhere in Group K, DR Congo faced Uzbekistan knowing that a win would secure a knockout spot for the first time in their history. No pressure guys. Uzbekistan opened the scoring but DR Congo fought back in the second half.

8:07Newcastle United's Joanne Visser started the comeback with a 68th minute penalty and then sealed it with another goal in stoppage time. Cue wild scenes outside the stadium.

8:24That concludes the group stages and breathe. Next, let us look ahead to day 18 of the World Cup. And where is all the football gone? After over two weeks of having at least four matches a day, giving us this one on a Sunday afternoon, it just feels a little bit sad, doesn't it? But whilst we may not have as many matches as usual, the stakes are far, far higher because it is time for the knockouts.

8:56No more second chances. No more third place qualifiers. This is it. Over the next six days, 16 nations will be eliminated. Get those wall charts ready, everybody. The first match of the last 32 takes place here in LA and co-hosts Canada have to play outside of the country for the first time after failing to win their group. The Canadian supporters will still be in good spirits, though, after flying down to LA. Or, actually, did they take a boat?

9:31The Canada fans there before kick-off against Switzerland taking inspiration from the Norwegian fans by doing their own version of the row. Guys, get your own thing. On paper, out of all the three co-hosts, Canada have been the least impressive so far, but then again, Mexico and the USA have set the bar pretty high. They won their first ever World Cup game, Canada did. They battled hard to get a point against a tricky Bosnia and Herzegovina team. Their 2-1 defeat to Switzerland was a big setback, though, especially after it meant having to leave the home comforts of Vancouver behind them. One of Jesse Marsh's biggest headaches has been the fact that Alphonso Davies hasn't been able to feature.

10:11But good news, he is back for Canada's biggest game in their history. Their opponent, South Africa, put their spot after beating South Korea 1-0 in the final group game. Not a result that loads of people saw coming, but maybe we should have asked one of the Bafana Bafana's most iconic supporters, Mama Joy. What's going to happen today, Mama Joy? Yeah, today we are going to win. Bafana Bafana is going to win. We'll be having four points and then we'll go to the next round, last 32. Get Mama Joy on the prediction. She'd take down the night cut with ease, wouldn't she? She correctly said before their game against South Korea that Bafana Bafana would make it to the last 32.

10:50and the fact that they've done it is pretty remarkable, isn't it? Comedian Trevor Noah loved it as well as he watched his nation make history. Come on, guys! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh, it was a sensational result for South Africa, especially with the context of what happened earlier in the group stage. Remember that 2-0 defeat to Mexico where they received two red cards? That was humiliating. And then in their second game against Czechia, they were a goal down with less than 10 minutes of the game remaining before winning a last-minute penalty kept their tournament alive. South Africa's keeper, Ronwyn Williams, lavished praise on his coach, Hugo Bross, for guiding the nation to their first ever World Cup knockout match.

11:33He deserves a statue. He deserves the highest recognition one can give. And actually, Ronwyn, who you heard just there, is the subject of today's drilldown.

11:48Today's drill down brought to you by Makita is all about how South Africa's goalkeeper Ronwyn Williams could be a serious factor in this knockout tie. He loves saving penalties. The 34-year-old captain saved four of them in a single shootout in 2024 against Cape Verde in the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals. It was a dramatic one-man show that helped earn him the tournament's best keeper award and a nomination at the Ballon d 'Or. He then did it again in the third place playoff match as South Africa won bronze by beating DR Congo on penalties, with Williams pulling off two acrobatic stops. And he doesn't just do this at international level either.

12:26In the African Champions League final, Williams stopped a late penalty to ensure that his club, Mamelodi Sundowns, became continental champions. In knockout conditions, this feels like a pivotal weapon for Bafana Bafana, who are likely to stay compact and soak up Canada's pressure. They'll try and hit the co-hosts on the break, but then also know that if it goes to spot kicks, they've got a huge ace up their sleeve. The Men in Blazers' big orange bus has continued its journey to the city of Atlanta, where tonight, Rog and Rory will be joined by James Horncastle for another episode of Night Cup.

13:03Tune in here on the Men in Blazers YouTube. Also, stick around to the end of the episode as well, because there is a sneak peek of Roger's conversation with English starts legend Luke Littler. Luke the Duke. Interesting. It is time for predictions then. Yesterday, I took on Carl Beckerman. Neither of us predicted a draw in Portugal against Colombia, so no points there. But unfortunately, he correctly predicted a Croatia win against Ghana. Well, I went for a 0-0 draw. I'm not taking any blame for that. That is purely the blame of my morning cup date team. Okay. It now means that we are losing 7-4 to the night cup.

13:38I need to get my head in this game. All my producers need to get their heads into this game. It's not convincing me to change my predictions. Anyway, today I took on the lovely Sam Mewis live from Philadelphia. Hey, Betty. Sam Mewis here. Huge fan of Morning Cup Day. Thank you so much for asking me on here. Canada, South Africa. I'm going Canada 1-0. If you're one of the host countries, Alphonso Davies might be back. That's my vote. But for the record, I do not want to go against you. I want to be on the Morning Cup date side next time. So hopefully you'll help me back on soon. Sam is always welcome on the Morning Cup date team, by the way.

14:11Love you, Sam. Love you, Sam. I'm going to go for a draw in normal time. And as the world arrives in the United States for the biggest spectacle in sports, we're going coast to coast, host city to host city to meet the world with the Men in Blazers Match Day Live Tour. These are free college game day style live events taking place just before kickoff at some of the biggest games of the summer. But we'll be taking the stage with celebrity guests in front of thousands of fans. It's going to be amazing. Come and be with us in person or from afar on YouTube. Let's celebrate this summer the way it's meant to be celebrated.

14:50Head to the events tab on meninblazers.com for all the details. To the football, to more together courage. Leaders aren't born, they're made. And they're made like everything else, through hard work. Well, a Chevy Silverado was made for hard work and designed to handle the big jobs. With over 13 ,000 pounds of towing capacity and trailering sway control, Chevy Silverado can haul the biggest loads on the roughest roads. It's a true workhorse. Right now, get 0 % APR financing on a Silverado 1500 pickup. It doesn't get any lower than zero. See your Chicago land at Northwest Indiana Chevy dealers for details.

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15:31On today's Finishing Touch brought to you by Bear Pay, we wanted to pay tribute to the group stages. Here's three winners and three losers from what has been an incredible opening 17 days of football. Let's start with our first winners, the co-hosts, of course, all of whom have reached the knockouts. Woo, World Cup! The fans have been absolutely incredible. Mexico fans have lined the streets in their hundreds of thousands. They even had a duck join in. Canada fans have turned out in force and across the US we have seen an excitement around USMNT like we've never seen it before.

16:13On to our first loser then and it's got to be the hydration breaks.

16:21it's fair to say that many fans out here aren't particularly keen on the four quarters especially when many games are taking place in climate-controlled stadiums and as we saw yesterday rainy conditions as well recent analysis from opta has concluded that there isn't actually any difference really in the flow of games but it won't stop fans in the stands booing back onto the winners then and we have to pay tribute to this man after all cup everyone will know who is Kavir and where is Kavir. We've seen many superstars putting in sensational performances across the World Cup so far, but Cape Verde's goalkeeper Vazinha has stolen the headlines.

16:58His clean sheet with Spain gave the 40-year-old legendary status and his Instagram following has gone from 50 ,000 to 17.1 million. I'm not going to lie, it's probably even higher now. That's more than Tom Brady, the Pope and Jimmy Kimmel. Back to the losers then, and it's one of the coaches that Vazinha's nation thwarted. Ah, Marcelo Bielsa, the legendary football coach, had an absolute nightmare of a tournament with his Uruguay side, embarrassingly exiting at the group stages, failing to beat either Cape Verde or Saudi Arabia. After their exit, he shouted at TV cameras, calling their exit pathetic.

17:38Sticking with the losers, and here's a reminder as to why you should never mess with the Rocky statue.

17:48Ecuador sneaked through to the knockout stages with a win over Germany, a famous result that actually earned the Ecuadorians a national holiday. But maybe their route to the groups would have been a little bit simpler if their fans remembered the golden rule. Never put your team's jersey on the Rocky statue in Philadelphia. Come on, guys. Ecuador lost that game 1-0 to the Ivory Coast, a lesson to all other visitors to the city of brotherly love. And on that final note, our final winners have to be these guys. No Scotland, no party.

18:26And that theory is going to be put to the test. Yesterday, Scotland's elimination from the tournament was confirmed and their manager Steve Clarke resigned as well. But what a ride it was for the Tartan army. From waking up the suburbs of Boston at 6.30 in the morning.

18:48to taking over the stadium at Fenway Park.

18:57The Tartan Army have been one of the stars of North America, but the question is, who's going to shine in the knockouts? That is it for Morning Cup Day today, built by the Home Depot. The Home Depot is your winning assist to host the ultimate watch party with fast free delivery to get your backyard match day ready, subject to availability. And by the way, we're back hosting back-to-back match day live shows at Founders Green in South Downtown Atlanta, the first of which is happening this Wednesday, July 1st, when Rod and Rory will be joined by James Horncastle, NBA star Larry Nance Jr., and local legend Big Boy.

19:34That's got something to say! That is quite a line-up. Thank you. Thank you for that, George. It's a free morning show, so feel free to come in and join the fun and get ready for a day of football with a well-balanced breakfast or a pint. Or a coffee, of course, whatever your tipple is. A wild crowd as well is sure to be there. The link for more is in the notes below. We'll be back tomorrow, but until then, enjoy the start of the knockouts.