Hugo Broos, the seasoned Belgian coach of South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, brushed off claims of decline following his team’s 2-1 last-16 defeat to Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations in Rabat on Sunday. With eyes firmly on the 2026 World Cup, Broos framed the knockout exit as a setback demanding review, not regression.
The narrow loss to the Indomitable Lions at Ibn Battouta Stadium cut short Bafana Bafana’s run in Morocco, a stark contrast to their bronze medal haul two years earlier at the Ivory Coast edition. There, they had defied expectations by finishing third—their best AFCON showing since 1996.
“We don’t go backwards maybe in some games performances were not at the level of South Africa that everyone knows, but you can’t say that for today,” Broos told reporters post-match, pinning the defeat on a lack of fortune against Cameroon.
Bafana Bafana laboured through Group D, securing second place behind Egypt with tight 1-0 wins over Angola and Zimbabwe flanking a loss to the Pharaohs. Critics labelled those victories unconvincing, pointing to blunt attacking play and reliance on defence.
Broos pushed back, drawing parallels to past tight contests. “Sometimes you need luck on your side, and two years ago in the quarter-final against Cape Verde, Ronwen Williams made a big save, otherwise, we could have lost that game,” he noted. “Today we didn’t have luck on our side. We are not going backwards, but we do have to make a good evaluation of what happened here at this tournament as we look forward to the World Cup.”
South African football’s narrative is etched in the nation’s turbulent history. Readmitted to FIFA in 1992 after an apartheid-era ban, Bafana Bafana rode a wave of post-liberation euphoria. Their 1996 AFCON triumph on home soil, led by coach Clive Barker and stars like Doctor Khumalo, became a symbol of unity, with Nelson Mandela lifting the trophy in a moment that transcended sport.
That success propelled them to the 1998 World Cup quarter-finals in France, where they fell to hosts and eventual champions in a tense penalty shootout. But the shine faded. Misses at subsequent World Cups—failing to qualify from 2002 through 2006—exposed systemic issues, from administrative turmoil under the South African Football Association (SAFA) to talent drain and coaching instability.
Hosting the 2010 World Cup brought fleeting glory: Siphiwe Tshabalala’s stunning opener against Mexico dazzled, yet group-stage elimination followed amid vuvuzela echoes. A 16-year World Cup drought ensued, broken only last year when Broos’s side topped their qualifying group ahead of Nigeria, Benin, Rwanda, and Lesotho.
Broos, 72 and a two-time AFCON winner with Cameroon in 2017, arrived in 2021 amid scepticism. His no-nonsense approach rebuilt morale, culminating in that Côte d’Ivoire podium and now World Cup passage—a rare feat for a side long mocked as underachievers.
South Africa’s World Cup return places them in Group B, opening against co-hosts Mexico on June 11, 2026, then facing South Korea and a European play-off winner. The expanded 48-team tournament in North America marks uncharted territory.
Preparation ramps up with March friendlies. “In the next days and weeks we will make an evaluation in detail on what was good and not good, and we will see what we have to change because the World Cup is in six months and we need to be ready for that,” Broos outlined. “We will see that we are ready in March to play those friendlies and be well prepared for the World Cup.”
