The 2026 FIFA World Cup continues on Wednesday as South Africa takes on South Korea in Group A.
Let’s dive into my favorite bet for this match.
Best bet for South Africa vs. South Korea
- South Korea Moneyline (-145): South Korea does not need to force this match open, but it has still shown more attacking quality than South Africa through two games. Bafana Bafana need a win to keep their knockout hopes in good shape, but they will be without Teboho Mokoena and Themba Zwane in midfield. That gives South Korea the cleaner path to control the match and find the decisive goal.
South Africa vs. South Korea prediction, pick
This is a massive Group A match, but the pressure is not equally distributed. Mexico has already locked up the top spot in the group, which leaves South Korea, South Africa, and Czechia fighting for the remaining advancement paths. South Korea enters with three points and can move on with at least a draw, while South Africa has just one point and likely needs a win to feel good about its chances.
And thus, South Africa cannot afford to sit back for 90 minutes, and they are also missing two important midfielders. Teboho Mokoena is suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament, while Themba Zwane remains out after his red card against Mexico. Mokoena also scored South Africa’s only goal of the tournament, so this is not just a depth concern.
South Africa did show more life against Czechia after a poor opener against Mexico. South Africa generated 17 shots and 1.37 expected goals in the 1-1 draw, but that number was boosted by a late penalty. In the opener, South Africa created just 0.07 expected goals against Mexico, so I’m not ready to trust this attack against a South Korea team that should be more organized.
South Korea’s tournament has been more convincing, even with the 1-0 loss to Mexico. The Koreans came from behind to beat Czechia 2-1 in their opener, generating 2.30 expected goals and controlling possession for long stretches. They were also competitive against Mexico, holding the co-hosts to just 0.48 expected goals while creating a few late chances of their own.
The concern with laying the Moneyline is that South Korea can advance with a draw, which could make this a more cautious performance. Still, South Africa’s situation should eventually create openings. If South Africa have to push numbers forward, South Korea has enough pace and final-third quality through Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, and Hwang In-beom to punish the space.
South Africa’s speed can make this interesting, but its midfield absences are a major problem in a must-win spot. South Korea has been the better team through two matches and should have enough control to get the result.
Best Bet: South Korea Moneyline (-145)
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