Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says he has achieved what he set out to accomplish with South Africa in the twilight of his coaching career and will bow out proudly in July next year, having guided the nation to qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
It will be a full-circle moment for Broos, who represented Belgium at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, where his country reached the semi-finals before losing to the all-conquering Argentina, led by the brilliance of Diego Maradona.
The late Maradona, one of football’s greatest ever players, was the star of that match, scoring twice to send Argentina to the final. Argentina went on to beat West Germany 3-2 in a memorable final.
Although Belgium lost to France in the third-place playoff, Broos gained invaluable experience playing at the iconic Estadio Azteca in front of 110,000 fans against hosts Mexico in their opening match.
Remarkably, in the twilight of his playing career, Broos even scored one of the penalties in the quarter-finals as Belgium defeated Spain 6–5 in a shootout.
Next year, the legendary Estadio Azteca in Mexico City will again be one of the host venues for the 2026 World Cup — a fitting connection for Broos as his journey comes full circle.
Broos, who has already confirmed that he will retire after the World Cup, led Bafana Bafana to qualification after a commanding 3–0 victory over Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium.
The win secured South Africa’s top spot in Group C and an automatic place in the tournament, which the USA, Mexico, and Canada will co-host.
“I insisted on what the players have done in the past two years, and I know you did not always agree with my choices,” said Broos.
“I’ve always said that my selection criteria are different from yours. For me, the most important thing is a player with quality — but also the right mentality. Secondly, he must be able to do what I ask of him.
“Until now, I’ve always succeeded in that, even though many thought other players deserved a chance. That’s not how you build a team, and it’s not how you achieve consistent performances. You need a plan and the discipline to stick to it — and that’s exactly what we’ve done over the last three years.
“This is fantastic — not only for us as coaches and players, but for the whole nation. I heard someone say on the pitch after the game, ‘Everybody laughed at you; you were a joke.’
“Now we’re here, we’re at a high level, and everybody respects us. This success isn’t only my work — it belongs to everyone.
“At last, I think this nation needed a new way of looking at football, a new way of judging players.
“I hope that in December, during AFCON, we can perform as well as we did in the last edition — where we won bronze for the first time in 24 years — and hopefully even better.
“I also hope that in all these high-level tournaments, especially next year in America at the World Cup, our players will rise to an even higher level of competition.
“You all know that I played at the World Cup at the end of my career, and now I will experience it again — this time as a coach. After the World Cup, it will be the right time to step away, go home, and enjoy life with my children and grandchildren.
“But first, there’s still work to do — and we’ll give it everything once more.”
The FIFA World Cup draw will take place in December.
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