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Back South Africa's clash with Canada on Sunday night to feature over 1.5 goals.

There was no shortage of entertainment in Canada's group stage matches. The Reds opened with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia before hammering Qatar 6-0 and then falling to a 2-1 defeat against Switzerland. It's also worth noting that four of Canada's six pre-World Cup friendlies also produced at least 2 goals.

South Africa's group stage fixtures weren't quite as entertaining, but two of their three matches still featured a minimum of two goals. The same was also true of three of Bafana Bafana's four Africa Cup of Nations outings, while three of their four friendlies that followed also cleared the over 1.5 goal line.

Both nations were involved in 1-1 draws during the group stage, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see that scoreline play out inside 90 minutes on Sunday night.

Look for Canada to earn at least five corners on Sunday night. The co-hosts posted some eye-catching numbers during the group stage, racking up a whopping 35 corners across their three Group B fixtures and comfortably clearing the over 4.5 hurdle every time.

A closer look shows that Jesse Marsch's men won nine corners against Bosnia, followed by a remarkable haul of 19 against Qatar, before finishing with seven against Switzerland.

On the evidence of those attack-minded performances, a minimum of five corners looks well within reach for the co-hosts against South Africa. Bafana Bafana conceded five corners against the Czech Republic before allowing six against South Korea in their final two group stage matches.

It's also worth noting that Hugo Boros’ side were forced to defend nine corner kicks when going up against Angola at the most recent edition of AFCON.

Tajon Buchanan looks well placed to be fouled at least twice on Sunday night. Buchanan’s pace and direct running saw him attract plenty of close attention across Canada’s three group stage games.

That is reflected in the numbers, with the Canadian winger fouled on multiple occasions in each of those matches, earning his country three set-pieces against both Qatar and Switzerland. What’s more, Buchanan was brought down 2+ times in five of his 10 friendly appearances for Canada ahead of the tournament.

His ability to draw fouls was further highlighted at club level last season, where he won an average of 1.78 free kicks per game for Villarreal in La Liga.

Buchanan is likely to find himself in a direct battle with Aubrey Modiba, who committed a combined total of four fouls across South Africa’s three group stage matches, notably picking up a yellow card against South Korea.

Back Mbekezeli Mbokazi to be fouled at least once on Sunday night.

The South African has already demonstrated his ability to draw fouls and win free kicks, most notably against Mexico on matchday one, when he was brought down on three occasions.

That trait also stood out during South Africa’s qualification campaign, where Mbokazi averaged 1.34 fouls drawn per game. His knack for winning free kicks has also been on show in MLS, where he has averaged 0.94 fouls drawn per 90 for Chicago Fire in the early stages of this season. 

Given the intensity of Jesse Marsch’s side and the high press they tend to employ, Mbokazi looks well placed to be fouled again here.

He could find himself up against Cyle Larin, who has committed an average of 1.67 fouls per 90 across Canada’s opening three World Cup matches.

Teboho Mokoena is expected to be restored to South Africa’s starting XI on Sunday night, and he looks worth backing to be fouled at least once.

Mokoena missed the South Korea clash after serving a suspension for picking up two yellow cards across South Africa’s opening two matches. He had previously produced a series of combative displays, most notably being fouled five times across Bafana Bafana’s first two Group A assignments.

That all-action approach has been a consistent feature of his game. Mokoena was fouled a total of seven times across his four Africa Cup of Nations appearances, including four in a single match against Cameroon. He also ranked among South Africa’s most fouled players during World Cup qualification, averaging 2.02 fouls drawn per 90.

The energetic South African midfielder could come up against Stephen Eustaquio, who committed two fouls during Canada’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia on matchday one.

Backing both teams to score holds plenty of appeal at the odds on offer.

Canada have carried plenty of attacking threat, but they have also looked vulnerable defensively across their opening three World Cup outings. That is reflected in the fact that there have been goals at both ends in the Reds’ games against both Bosnia and Switzerland.

That pattern was also evident during their final batch of friendlies in the lead-up to the tournament, with Canada playing out a 2-2 draw with Iceland as well as a 1-1 stalemate with the Republic of Ireland.

As for South Africa, they have scored in each of their last 2 World Cup outings, one of which was a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic. Further encouragement comes from the fact that both teams to score would have landed in seven of Bafana Bafana’s last 10 matches ahead of this summer’s showpiece.

Jonathan David looks like the most obvious candidate to register either a goal or an assist on Sunday night.

He has already made his mark at this year’s World Cup, scoring a hat-trick in the Reds’ 6-0 demolition of Qatar. Canada’s all-time leading scorer now boasts a mightily impressive return of 42 goals across his 80 appearances for his country.

David is not just a goalscorer, though, as he also chips in with assists, underlined by the fact that he has registered 20 at the international level.

The Reds talisman, therefore, looks well placed to do damage against a South Africa side who were without a clean sheet in each of their six competitive fixtures prior to their 1-0 win over South Korea last time out.

With David also on penalty duties, that only adds to the appeal of siding with him for a goal involvement against South Africa on Sunday night.

Alistair Johnston’s love of a strong tackle makes him a prime candidate to commit two or more fouls.

The Canadian right-back is a naturally tenacious defender, something that was evident against both Bosnia and Switzerland, where he committed multiple fouls in both of those games and picked up a yellow card in the first of those.

Although he missed much of Canada’s friendly schedule in the lead-up to the tournament due to injury, Johnston still committed multiple fouls in a 2-1 win over the USA last year.

He returned from his spell on the sidelines to feature for Celtic during their title run-in last season, committing six fouls across his final three Scottish Premiership outings and picking up a yellow card in two of those.

Johnston could find himself up against South Africa’s Oswin Appollis, who was drawing an average of 1.85 fouls per game during World Cup qualification.

This has the makings of a closely fought contest, which makes over 3.5 cards an appealing option. While card-heavy games have been relatively scarce across the group stage, I expect that trend to shift as the stakes rise in the knockout rounds. 

Moreover, Canada’s games have been played with plenty of intensity, with two of the co-hosts’ three group stage matches featuring four or more bookings, with Qatar receiving two red cards in one of those games. 

As for South Africa, they were involved in the World Cup opener against Mexico, which saw three players sent off, while a further three yellow cards were also shown in that game. 

It should also be noted that referee Joao Pinheiro averaged 4.33 yellow cards per game across all competitions last season, while he also brandished three yellows and a red in his only previous assignment at the 2026 World Cup.