Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has reflected on guiding South Africa to their first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout phase berth after a 1-0 win over South Korea at Estadio Monterrey on Thursday.
Thapelo Maseko scored the decisive goal after pouncing on an assist from substitute Tshepang Moremi to become the nation’s second youngest scorer at the global showpiece after the legendary Benni McCarthy.
Bafana, as a result, finished second in Group A with four points accumulated – this after they were completely written off and faced harsh criticism following a 2-0 defeat to co-hosts Mexico in the opening game a fortnight ago.
The Belgian mentor says he was overcome with emotions as Argentinian referee Facundo Tello blew the final whistle which confirmed their spot in the Round of 32, defying the odds in the process.
“It was an emotional moment, we came here to Mexico, not only me but all the group, and we wanted to survive the group stages. When you start like we did, it was not so good, and then you play a draw against Czechia, you know that the last game you have to win,” said Broos.
“And then the moment when you score that goal I think there was still 20 minutes or 15 minutes to play, you begin to feel more and more tense and nervous until the last whistle is there, and that was a moment of emotions for me, not only because we won the game or because we were in the second round but also for me.
“I said it already in the past that probably it will be one of my last games of my career, and when you can end a career like I had in this way, I think everybody or every coach dreams of it and I’m here in the situation, so it was an emotional moment really.
Having previously hinted at retirement following the conclusion of Bafana’s World Cup campaign, Broos admits it could be his last major tournament in the dugout, and delved deep into his relationship with the players.
“It’s certainly my last World Cup, but you never know. The next World Cup is in four years and I’ll be 78 years old and I don’t think that is an age to be on the bench, certainly those very nervous moments are not good for the health,” added the veteran tactician.
“So, again, I wanted to make a very good World Cup of this one and to end in beauty, and also for the guys. You must not forget that we started the journey five years ago and there was a lot of criticism in Africa, they didn’t understand what I was doing until the moment we started to have results.
“And I have always had the belief in this group even the past few weeks when the criticism was very hard, but I never doubted because this group gave me so much already that I was nearly sure that we would do a very good result today, and you saw the guys how they were working and fighting for every ball today because they also wanted to be in the second round.
“The combination between me as a coach and them as players is maybe something unique. I am the coach but I’m also a friend of them, so the relationship between the players and me is very good, and again, I’m very happy for them that we achieved the second round.
Bafana will now turn attention to Canada who are also co-hosts of the revamped 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup. The two teams will do battle for a spot in the last-16 with the match scheduled for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, 28 June.
Piala Dunia 2026
Piala Dunia FIFA 2026 akan menjadi edisi paling revolusioner dalam sejarah sepak bola dunia. Turnamen ini untuk pertama kalinya akan diselenggarakan di tiga negara sekaligus, yaitu Amerika Serikat, Kanada, dan Meksiko. Selain itu, jumlah peserta juga meningkat dari 32 menjadi 48 tim, membuka peluang lebih besar bagi negara-negara dari berbagai konfederasi untuk tampil di panggung global. Format baru ini akan menghadirkan lebih banyak pertandingan, atmosfer kompetisi yang lebih luas, serta jangkauan penonton yang semakin besar di seluruh dunia.
Dengan skala yang jauh lebih besar, FIFA menargetkan turnamen ini sebagai ajang yang tidak hanya kompetitif tetapi juga spektakuler dari sisi teknologi dan pengalaman penonton. Stadion-stadion modern di berbagai kota tuan rumah telah dipersiapkan untuk menghadirkan pertandingan berkelas dunia, didukung oleh inovasi seperti peningkatan sistem VAR dan pengalaman digital bagi fans. diprediksi akan menjadi tonggak baru dalam evolusi sepak bola internasional, memperkuat popularitas olahraga ini sekaligus menciptakan momen-momen bersejarah yang akan dikenang dalam waktu lama.
