Czech Republic v South Africa: 2026 World Cup Prediction

On Thursday 18 June, we move on to the second match in Group A of the 2026 World Cup. Last week, we saw both the Czech Republic and South Africa lose their matches against South Korea and Mexico respectively. This makes it immediately clear that the Czech Republic v South Africa match is one that is extremely important for both nations. Who will give themselves some breathing space and take a solid step towards the knockout stages? And who will be on the brink of elimination after Thursday? Here’s our Czech Republic v South Africa prediction.

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Czech Republic v South Africa preview

After the first matchday, both the Czech Republic and South Africa are on 0 points in Group A. This makes the match all the more crucial: the loser will immediately come under intense pressure, whilst the winner will regain hope of reaching the knockout stages.

Current Form & Team News

Czech Republic

It was a bitter pill for the Czechs to swallow last week. Although they took a fine 1-0 lead early in the second half, things still went wrong in the sparsely filled stadium in Guadalajara. It was partly thanks to a strong performance from South Korea’s Hwang In-Beom that the Czech Republic came away empty-handed. There was, however, plenty of praise for goalkeeper Matej Kovar. The PSV goalkeeper played a key role for his country and clearly prevented further goals. Will he be able to keep a clean sheet against South Africa.

South Africa

Not much was expected of South Africa going into the tournament. It had been a while since we’d last seen Bafana Bafana at the World Cup, and that turned out to be no surprise. Their play was not worth watching, whilst they haven’t exactly improved in terms of tactical intelligence either. Partly due to two red cards, they didn’t stand a chance against hosts Mexico. Yet the same applies to them: they start afresh at 0–0 against the Czech Republic, and nothing less than a win will do. Can they come up with a better game plan and perhaps spring a surprise?

Head-to-Head

The Czech Republic and South Africa have never played each other at a World Cup before. This will be a historic first meeting.

Expected Line-ups

Czech Republic (3-4-2-1):

Kovar, Krejci, Hranac, Chaloupek, Zeleny, Sadilek, Soucek, Coufal, Sulc, Provod, Schick

South Africa: (4-3-3):

Williams, Modiba, Sibisi, Mbokazi, Mudau, Appollis, Mokoena, Maswanganyi, Mofokeng, Foster, Makgopa

Czech Republic v South Africa Betting Tips

Betting Tip 1: 3-way handicap (-1) Czech Republic

We felt that the Czech Republic’s defeat against South Korea could certainly have been avoided. After all, they’re actually quite a decent side. Given that we were hugely disappointed by South Africa’s performance, we’re backing a comfortable victory for the Czechs. We think that the Czech Republic, just like Mexico, will beat the Africans by at least two goals. A 3-way handicap (-1) on the Czech Republic gives you odds of 3.05.

Betting tip 2: Sadilek to have more than 0.5 shots on target

With four shots on target, the Czech Republic certainly deserved more against South Korea. It was, in particular, a former FC Twente and PSV player who made an impression. Michal Sadilek, who missed Euro 2024 for curious reasons, was incredibly keen during his substitute appearance and fired two shots on target. We reckon he’ll start against South Africa and will have at least one shot on goal. If Michal Sadilek has more than 0.5 shots on target, you’ll get odds of 4.70.

Prediction: Czech Republic v South Africa

Final score: Czech Republic – South Africa 2–0
The Czech Republic have more quality and experience at this level. After their disappointing start, we expect them to bounce back.