Canada are set to play their historic first-ever men's World Cup knockout fixture against South Africa at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 28 — not on Canadian soil, despite the nation being one of three co-hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Kick-off is scheduled for midday local time, which translates to 8pm in the United Kingdom. The match will be played in the United States while both BMO Field in Toronto and BC Place in Vancouver are staging other round-of-32 ties later in the same round.

How the venue allocations work

The host stadiums for every knockout game were assigned before the tournament kicked off. Each venue was allocated based on where teams finished in their respective groups, including the ranking of third-placed sides. Under that system, Canada could have earned a home knockout tie in Vancouver — but only by finishing top of Group B.

Jesse Marsch's side came agonisingly close. Going into their final group match against Switzerland, Canada needed only to avoid defeat to claim top spot, owing to a superior goal difference. The Swiss, however, had other plans.

Switzerland claimed a 2-1 win in Vancouver to leapfrog Canada and finish first in the group. As a result, it is Switzerland — not Canada — who have been handed Vancouver for their round-of-32 fixture, scheduled for Thursday, July 2. Toronto, meanwhile, will host Portugal's clash with Croatia earlier that same evening.

Canada's remaining home fixtures

Canada will still host one further game on home soil after their Los Angeles tie, with Vancouver set to stage a round-of-16 match. Switzerland could appear there once more, should they advance — the winner of their round-of-32 game against Canada or South Africa is due to face the winner of Colombia versus Ghana.

From the quarter-finals onward, every match will be held in the United States, meaning Canada's hosting role in the latter stages of the tournament is limited regardless of results.

Mexico, by contrast, secured their home knockout advantage by finishing top of Group A, earning a second-round fixture on Mexican soil.