"Canadian heroes" celebrate landmark World Cup Round of 32 win | OneFootball

By Ben Steiner

Ismaël Koné broke his leg 10 days ago when Canada historically routed Qatar in front of a raucous Vancouver home crowd. But you wouldn’t have known it on Sunday in Los Angeles after the team’s dramatic 1–0 win over South Africa in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32.

The CF Montréal product, who underwent surgery in Vancouver and is out for the remainder of the tournament, danced with his teammates, sunglasses on, after one of the biggest results in Canada’s sporting history — a first knockout victory at the men’s World Cup. 

“It’s amazing in the changing room right now. Obviously, with the excitement that we're still playing, and the relief that we managed to get over the line,” said defender Alistair Johnston after the match.

“It was a difficult match, and we knew it was going to be... but we just won a knockout round match at a World Cup. We're still dancing, and I'm just so excited.”

A nation rejoices

They were dancing because LAFC midfielder Stephen Eustáquio fired a half-volley from distance, perfectly catching the ball with his right foot and beating Ronwen Williams between the sticks in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. 

It was an instant relief. The thousands of Canadians who had flown and driven to Los Angeles Stadium for the tournament exhaled, as did millions packing watch parties from Eustáquio’s Leamington, Ontario, to Jacob Shaffelburg’s Port Williams, Nova Scotia and beyond. 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who attended the two Group B matches in Vancouver, dropped to his knees on the Ottawa airport runway while watching the game on his phone. His plane landed in the 85th minute, and he stepped off just moments before the winning goal.

This was a moment for Canadian soccer. Now, Les Rouges will get a chance to take on a global powerhouse in either the Netherlands or Morocco on July 4 in Houston in the Round of 16 - an incredible achievement for a team ranked No. 122 in the world 12 years ago. 

“This national team has come a very long way, from when I started, even before that, it was in a place where guys were coming in and trying to fight to get respect from other nations,” Toronto FC left back Richie Laryea said post-match, having made his international debut in 2019. 

“To see where we're at now, and to win a game like this in a World Cup, and to be moving on, it's special... It’s a moment I don't think Canadians will ever forget.”

Memorable moments

When Canada embarked on this World Cup journey with a training camp in Charlotte, N.C., in the spring, head coach Jesse Marsch stated the mission: he wanted this team to create memorable moments, regardless of how it unfolded.

From Eustáquio's winner, to Jonathan David’s historic hat trick against Qatar, or rallying around Koné’s injury, the team has endeared itself to the Canadian public in a way few outside of the sport of hockey have done previously. 

“The biggest thing for me is that in 20 years, you're going to look back and you're not going to remember how each individual played,” Johnston added. “All you're going to care about is that you advanced, and that was all about today... I'm so proud of the resilience that the guys showed.”

Canadian heroes

After any result, Marsch brings his team together on the pitch. On Sunday, the group struck an emotional tone about their achievements, which will reach far into the future beyond this summer’s tournament.

“Think about the two years we've been together. Think about how we talked about sticking to the plan, sticking to who we want to be, playing aggressively, assessing the quality, you guys showing your character,” Marsch exclaimed to his players.

“You guys are Canadian heroes for the future children of this country who play this sport. This sport has a big future because of you guys. You should be so proud of who you are. You should be so proud of this game.”

Family toll

The emotional weight of a World Cup often goes unrecognized. For every player that steps on the pitch, it’s often an over-month-long commitment, largely away from their loved ones, while focusing on handling moments they have dreamed about their entire lives.

For this Canadian group, few were afforded that dream, given their country’s lack of presence in the global game. Eustáquio, the newest Canadian sporting legend, even played for Portugal at the youth level before committing to Canada through a lengthy dual-national recruitment process under previous head coach John Herdman.

And in 2023 and 2024, in the span of just a few months, he lost his parents. He and his fiancée, Constança, welcomed a daughter in 2024, and he’s one of many dads on the CanMNT. While some families have travelled with the group, there are seldom opportunities to connect.

“Everything I do is for my family, for my parents, for my girlfriend, for my daughter, for my brother, for my friends back home, for all of you and for Canada,” Eustáquio said, breaking down into tears.

“Now we're going to go to Morocco or the Netherlands, and who knows, on a good day, we can make things happen... if we keep believing, if we keep working, things might go our way.”

Biggest test looms

For Canada, it was a landmark win, another step in cementing a sporting identity that extends well beyond the winter months.

Now, the biggest test looms. Canada know they’re massive underdogs against either the Oranje or The Atlas Lions, but they also are playing with house money. There’s truly no losing at this point, and there will be dancing for days, far beyond Koné’s moves in Los Angeles.

“Apart from inspiring our nation, one of our goals was to make a run so that we could get to see one of the giants of the world,” Marsch said.

“We're at that phase of the tournament, and I feel like it's a free hit, so we're going to go after it and do everything we can to see if we can find a way to get a win.”