
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works .
Copy link
The group stage is over. Bring on the knockout stage.
The World Cup round of 32 kicks off with just a single game on Sunday as co-hosts and Group B runners-up Canada play on neutral ground for the first time this summer.
Standing before them are another second-placed side, Group A runners-up South Africa, who booked passage through to this stage with a victory over South Korea last time out.
No other games will be played on Sunday, allowing this game to take centre-stage.
The clash is set to be played at SoFi Stadium in the Los Angeles area, with kick-off set for midday local time (8pm UK time).
The referee for the occasion is Portugal's Joao Pinheiro.
This will be the 38 year old's second game of this World Cup, which is Pinheiro's first-ever major international tournament outing.
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
His last game was Switzerland's somewhat bizarre victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the Swiss running out 4-1 winners despite not opening the scoring until the 74th minute.
That late flurry of goals came after Pinheiro showed Bosnian Tarik Muharemovic a straight red card for a DOGSO offence with ten minutes to go.
Fellow Portuguese Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia will be the linesmen.
UAE's Omar Al Ali will be the fourth official, with Mohamed Al-Hammadi serving as the reserve official.
Details of the VAR crew are yet to be confirmed at time of writing.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
1 Why aren't Canada playing in Canada for World Cup round of 32 clash with South Africa?
2 How to watch South Africa vs Canada for FREE
3 ‘My penalty heroics against Costa Rica were a dream. Louis van Gaal’s biggest regret was not repeating it in the semis’ Tim Krul on the Netherlands’ World Cup 2014 shootout win
4 ‘I told the players they’d be exempt from military service if we reached the semi-finals. They huddled together and started crying, one by one’ How Guus Hiddink motivated South Korea’s 2002 World Cup heroes
5 ‘When I look at Raheem Sterling, the amount of tap-ins he scored, just because he was in that position, that’s something I really look up to’ How Jeremy Doku has been inspired by the former England man