Canada will play South Africa in the first-ever knockout match at a men's World Cup for both nations.
The Canadians lost 2-1 to Switzerland in their group finale Wednesday and had to settle for second place in Group B.
It was widely expected they'd take on South Korea in the round of 32 as a result, but South Africa pulled off a 1-0 upset win over the Koreans later Wednesday night to finish second in Group A.
Canada and South Africa will meet June 28 in Los Angeles at 3 p.m. ET.
Canada needed just a draw against the Swiss to finish first in Group B, but paid for a pair of defensive lapses early in the second half that allowed Ruben Vargas and Johan Manzambi to find the net shortly after the interval; Vargas' opening goal came just 39 seconds into the second stanza.
Substitute Promise David cut the deficit in half with his first touch of the game in the 76th minute, but Canada couldn't find the second goal it needed to earn a draw and top the group despite applying intense pressure in the final minutes. David, Alistair Johnston, and Derek Cornelius all came close - Johnston had the best chance with a stoppage-time header - as Canada swarmed Switzerland for the final 10 minutes of the contest in Vancouver.
Had Jesse Marsch's men managed to find a late equalizer and earn a dramatic draw, they would've stayed at home in Vancouver for their last-32 match. Instead, their campaign will now take them to the United States for the first time in this summer's tournament.
"We just (wanted) to continue the energy that's taken place here in Canada," Marsch told TSN's Matthew Scianitti after the match, admitting that he was "disappointed" the team couldn't get the result needed to remain in Vancouver.
Marsch said he was "proud" of the players' response after going down 2-0.
"I know our team has heart. ... We're going to focus on the positives. We're going to focus on the response (in the second half)," he added.
Johnston echoed those sentiments about the team's fight while also acknowledging Canada conceded "cheap" goals in the second stanza due to uncharacteristic sluggishness after the halftime interval.
Switzerland took full advantage, and will now take on a third-place finisher in the round of 32. This is the fourth successive World Cup appearance in which the Swiss, ranked No. 17 in the world by FIFA, have qualified for the knockout rounds. It's the first time they've won their World Cup group since 2006.
Elsewhere in Group B, Bosnia and Herzegovina is in a strong position to advance as one of the best third-place finishers after defeating Qatar 3-1 in Wednesday's concurrent fixture.
Canada was once again without captain and star player Alphonso Davies on Wednesday. The Bayern Munich left-back is yet to feature in the tournament due to an ailing hamstring.
Marsch admitted after the Switzerland match that Davies was never going to feature in the group stage, and was simply being used as a "decoy" all along, according to Scianitti.
Davies will be ready for the last-32 match, Marsch said.
