Both Czech Republic and South Africa suffered defeats in matchday one at the 2026 World Cup and the pressure is now on to avoid an early exit as they prepare to meet at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Thursday.
The European side took the lead against South Korea thanks to a goal from Ladislav Krejci, but were eventually undone by efforts from Hwang In-Beom and Hyeon-gyu Oh which sealed all three points for Hong Myung-bo's side.
For the Czechs, a win here could be imperative, especially with a clash against Mexico to come in their final Group A fixture.
South Africa must improve on their poor showing against the co-hosts during the curtain-raiser, that much is certain.
Czech Republic v South Africa Tips Summary
Best Bet - Czech Republic to win @ 17/20
Alternative Bet - Teboho Mokoena to be booked @ 3/1
Bet Builder- Patrik Schick to score anytime & Czech Republic to win both halves @ 15/4
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Czech Republic v South Africa Prediction
Best Bet: Czech Republic to win @ 17/20
The Czechs were underwhelming during their 2-1 defeat to South Korea, despite taking the lead on the hour thanks to Krejci.
Korea largely dominated possession throughout the 90 minutes and managed almost double the number of shots (15 vs 7) compared to their opponents in Guadalajara.
That being said, Miroslav Koubek's men will be confident of taking all three points against South Africa, especially considering how poor Bafana Bafana were against Mexico.
The Mexicans should arguably have scored more than two goals and a severe lack of discipline saw South Africa have two men sent off.
Hugo Broos' men registered a paltry three shots during the game and posed no threat whatsoever as the occasion certainly got the better of them at the cavernous Azteca.
As such, the Czechs should have far too much firepower as they look to win their first World Cup match since 2006.
Alternative Bet: Teboho Mokoena to be booked @ 3/1
Mokoena received the first yellow card of the World Cup against Mexico and another one against the Czechs will see him suspended for the final group game.
Throughout the 2025/26 campaign, Mokoena was suspended twice after accumulating a total of nine yellow cards for Mamelodi Sundowns.
He has received four cautions in his previous 11 international matches and during the opener against the Mexicans, Mokoena committed one foul and was dribbled past on two occasions.
With the Czechs looking for their first win of the tournament, Koubek's side will be eager to cause plenty of problems and there is no doubt he will instruct his players to target Mokoena considering his disciplinary record.
Odds of 3/1 for him to get booked are far too good to turn down.
Czech Republic v South Africa Bet Builder Tip
Patrik Schick to score anytime
Czech Republic to win both halves
Pays 15/4
Schick was poor against the Koreans, failing to register a shot during his 64 minutes on the pitch, but I’m willing to give him another go at opening his account against South Africa.
The striker knows what it takes to shine in a major tournament, having scored five times at Euro 2020 while adding another to his tally in Germany two years ago.
He has scored twice in his previous two matches and given how poor South Africa looked defensively against Mexico last week, Schick will be licking his lips at the thought of facing them.
With that in mind, adding the Czechs to win both halves is the perfect way to round off this bet builder.
Three points are a necessity here and that should give the Czechs added impetus to attack from the get go in a bid to get an early goal or two.
The South Africans looked out of their depth in the opener and there is no doubt Koubek can encourage his side to push hard for goals during the second half also.
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Key Match Stats
Czech Republic's last World Cup win came against the USA in 2006
South Africa have won just two of their 10 matches at the World Cup
Patrik Schick scored five goals in qualifying for the Czechs
South Africa have not won a match in 2026 so far
Both teams have scored in the Czech Republic’s previous five matches
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
