RismadarVoice Reporters
June 25, 2026
South Africa coach, Hugo Broos says his team has silenced their critics after Bafana Bafana secured a historic spot in the World Cup knockout stages, beating South Korea 1-0 on Wednesday.
It marks the first time in the country’s history that South Africa has advanced past the group stage at a World Cup. The team, competing in its fourth World Cup appearance, finished second in Group A behind co-hosts Mexico, who won all three of their group matches.
South Africa, which last appeared at the tournament when it hosted it in 2010, had been largely dismissed by observers following a 2-0 defeat to Mexico in their opening fixture. However, the team fought back with a draw against the Czech Republic before edging out South Korea in what amounted to a decisive contest for second place in Monterrey, settled by a second-half goal from Thapelo Maseko.
“I’m very proud of the performance of my team and I think we gave an answer to all those big mouths of the last weeks who thought that we had to change something,” Broos said defiantly. “We just did what we did. We just did what I wanted to do and this is the result.”
The 74-year-old coach, who has led the South African side since 2021, described qualifying for the second round as an emotional milestone for the team.
“I said it already in the past that it will probably be one of the last games of my career and when you can end a career as I had in this way, I think everybody or every coach dreams of it,” he said.
Broos also spoke about his close bond with the squad, saying his faith in the players never wavered despite the criticism directed at them.
“Between me as a coach and them as players is yes, maybe something unique I’m the coach, but I’m not a coach,” he said. “I think I’m a friend of theirs. So the relationship between the players and me, this is very good.”
South Africa will next take on co-hosts Canada in Los Angeles on Sunday, with a place in the round of 16 on the line.
“I just know that the players will be ready again and try to achieve the third round,” Broos said. “It should be even more historic. But those players are chasing those things. Those players want to prove to everyone and to show that they are a good team. So we will see next Sunday if we can go further.”
