Bafana Bafana coach coach Hugo Broos says he is comfortable with his contribution to South African soccer over the past five years. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images) Before Bafana Bafana reached their first Fifa World Cup in 16 years, the team’s coach Hugo Broos spoke about how special it would be to help South Africa qualify for the tournament.
Especially since as a player he participated in the 1986 World Cup for Belgium. That instalment was held in Mexico, the same country that is co-hosting this year’s edition alongside the US and Canada.
Coincidentally, Bafana will also play two of their group stage matches in Mexico, with one scheduled to take place in the US.
Broos retired as a player a couple of years after his last World Cup appearance. So, he made it a personal mission to help SA end their World Cup drought. He succeeded where a number of his predecessors had failed. This includes the likes of Pitso Mosimane, Steve Komphela, Stuart Baxter and Gordon Igesund.
/file/attachments/orphans/TL_2502279_268299.jpg "South Africa head coach Hugo Broos will be celebrating exactly five years at helm in May 2026. He is the longest-serving Bafana Bafana coach in history. (Photo: Zamani Makautsi / Gallo Images)")
Prior to Broos leading this current crop of players to the global stage, it was Portuguese tactician Carlos Queiroz who guided SA to World Cup qualification, as far back as 2002. However, after a poor showing at the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, Queiroz was replaced by Jomo Sono before the World Cup.
Post-Afcon pressure
If it was up to some South African soccer fans, the same fate would have befallen Broos after Bafana Bafana’s lacklustre showing at the Morocco-hosted 2025 Afcon edition. Broos and his charges were sent packing in the round of 16, after falling 2-1 to Cameroon – the country that the Belgian led to the 2017 Afcon title.
It was a disappointing conclusion for Broos and his team, especially after the 73-year-old Belgian guided SA to a rare Afcon podium finish at the 2023 edition in Ivory Coast. Prior to Broos steering the team to third place in Ivory Coast, Bafana Bafana had last played in the Afcon semifinals in 2000.
Despite achieving many milestones, there were many people who called for the South African Football Association (Safa) to fire Broos. Both Broos and Safa blocked out this noise; with the president of the South African soccer federation – Danny Jordaan – even saying he was hopeful that they could convince Broos to remain beyond the World Cup.
But Broos has always insisted that after this fairytale World Cup experience for both him and Bafana Bafana (whom he has coached since May 2021), he will retire altogether from coaching and move back to Belgium.
/file/attachments/orphans/17873155621_485647.jpg "Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, seen here with his assistant Helman Mkhalele, says he hopes people respect his contribution to South African soccer, whatever their personal opinions of him. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images / Getty Images)")
Whether or not he remains at the helm beyond the upcoming soccer spectacle, Bafana Bafana’s longest-serving coach says he is comfortable with his overall impact on South African soccer. This despite the criticism he has received from some corners of the South African soccer community, especially after the 2025 Afcon.
“I just hope that people will have respect for what I did in SA over the past five years. I’m not a stupid man,” Broos said in response to a question from Daily Maverick at a press conference on Thursday, 19 March.
“I know where Bafana Bafana was when I arrived here and I know where they are now. People love Bafana Bafana again and they are coming to the stadium to support us,” he added.
“I hope that people know that I put in five years of hard work. But I am very satisfied with my five years here and the results I’ve obtained with the team.”
/file/attachments/orphans/TL_2500290_347399.jpg "Hugo Broos says he wants to observe Relebohile Mofokeng closely in Bafana Bafana’s upcoming friendlies against Panama. The Belgian says he will deploy the youngster in the playmaker position, as opposed to the wing. (Photo: Gallo Images / Zamani Makautsi)")
Panama friendlies/Afcon controversy
The Belgian, who will turn 74 on 10 April, was speaking to journalists after announcing his squad for Bafana Bafana’s upcoming double-header of friendly encounters against Panama. The matches are set to be played in South Africa between 27 and 31 March 2026, at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium and the Cape Town Stadium. They form part of Bafana Bafana’s preparations for the World Cup.
Broos was also asked for his opinion on the decision taken by the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) appeals board on 17 March, where they stripped Senegal of the 2025 Afcon title they won by beating Morocco 1-0 in Rabat.
The Senegalese were retrospectively sanctioned for staging a short-lived walk-off in the dying embers of regulation time. They did this in protest over successive refereeing decisions they felt aggrieved by. But they eventually returned and the match continued.
Broos said he understood both sides of the coin, but questioned CAF’s delay in making the historic decision to strip the Lions of Teranga of their second African title.
“The only thing I can say is CAF shows again that there is consistency in their decisions. It’s very painful for Senegal to lose that cup. But there is a rule that says if you leave the pitch, you forfeit. Finish. The only question is why you didn’t sanction Senegal earlier? Why did you wait two months?” Broos said.
“You have to be consistent in what you decide. You can’t do that for this one and do something else for the other. You must apply the rules consistently. Why did CAF wait for Morocco to complain? Because the rule is there [and it is clear],” the Belgian stated.
The matter is now set to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport sometime this year, after Senegal lodged an appeal. DM