South Africa's Amajita stun USA to advance to World Cup knockout stage

South Africa’s Under-20 national team, Amajita, defeated Group E favourites USA 2-1 in a thrilling last group match at Estadio El Teniente in Rancagua, Chile, on Sunday.

The monumental victory secures Amajita a spot in the Round of 16 and makes them the first South African national team to win two matches at a single FIFA World Cup tournament.

South Africa kicked off their campaign with a narrow 2-1 defeat to France, but quickly bounced back, hammering New Caledonia 5-0 before securing the historic win over the USA.

This is the first time since the 2009 tournament in Egypt (under coach Serame Letsoaka), where they lost 2-1 to Ghana after extra time, that the team has progressed to the knockout stage.

Coach Raymond Mdaka praised his team’s effort following the tough win. 

“Let me congratulate the boys, they showed character, showed they are the African Champions,” Mdaka said. “It was not an easy game playing the USA, who had already won two games with a number of goals, so it looked like it was a mountain to climb, but then we agreed as a team to say let’s show what we can do as a team.”

“We showed character by scoring in the first half and had to play the second half and be able to manage the game under pressure,” he continued. 

“Credit to the boys, credit to the technical team, the support staff and everybody because the atmosphere always gives the boys energy to go and here we are going into the second round.”

Coming into the match, Amajita needed either a win, a draw, or to avoid a heavy defeat to progress. The 2-1 triumph secured the second spot in Group E for South Africa.

Amajita has now managed to earn at least a point in every FIFA World Cup tournament they have played in, including 1997, 2009, 2017, 2019, and 2025.

The team will face Group F winners Colombia in the Round of 16 on Wednesday.