- Czech Republic have won four of their last five matches, losing just once
- South Africa have played five games in 2026 with two losses, two draws and one win
- Czech Republic are 41/50 favourites for Thursday's game
Czech Republic have the tools to trouble South Africa
Czech Republic and South Africa will each look to take their first points in Group A when they face off at Atlanta Stadium in a key clash for supremacy in the group.
Both sides have lost their first game, with the Czechs going down 2-1 to a Republic of Korea side. Vladimir Coufal registered an assist from two World Cup appearances, proving the Besiktas full-back's ability to deliver from the wide positions that Czech manager Miroslav Koubek's pragmatic system offers him.
His side are structured, direct and tough to play against on their day, especially from set pieces, so South Africa will have to be on their game to stop the Czech side from building a head of steam on Thursday. Koubek has done a good job since taking charge in December 2025, bringing a simple, structured game to the team and they have plenty of height and power to trouble Bafana Bafana.
Ladislav Krejci is the Czech Republic's World Cup top scorer with one goal in one game, but Patrik Schick is their most significant attacking threat with his aerial prowess and predatory instincts in the box. South Africa's central midfielders are mostly physical and hard-working types that are good at breaking up play, but they will find it hard to contain Schick in the air.
Bafana Bafana are physical and compact
Hugo Broos has had plenty of time to implement his system since taking over as coach in 2021 and has done a pretty good job of making South Africa a compact, solid unit that can cause teams trouble on the break.
South Africa's only away game in the tournament ended in a 2-0 loss to Mexico and they have failed to score in this World Cup. The last two games were a 0-1 friendly win at Jamaica, followed by their defeat to Mexico, so they have not shown a lot of attacking intent and the result in Atlanta will depend on whether they can make the most of their pace on the counter-attack.
The South African game is not complex, but they are a team that are very good at their type of game, which is compact and tough to break down. Broos' system gives them a number of different ways to transition into attack and his side can be dangerous if they can get a foothold in the Czech defense. Bafana Bafana will make it tough for Czech Republic to score, but may not be able to do enough at the other end to get a result in this game.
Czech Republic can edge an open fixture
South Africa's away woes mean there is enough reason to fancy the Czechs to get a vital win in Group A and take a step closer to validation on the World Cup stage. Both teams to score, however, is a strong play at 23/25 because of the contrasting styles and the fact that, with both sides looking for their first points, neither will be content to sit back and let the other dictate.
There could be goals at both ends of the field, but Over 2.5 is a good price at 27/25 considering both teams will have to open up to win and both managers have found a way to make their sides tough to beat on their own terms.
