South Africa's Belgian head coach Hugo Broos talks to his players during a hydration break of the 2026 World Cup Group A football match between South Africa and South Korea at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico, on June 24, 2026. Picture: Julio Cesar AGUILAR / AFP
Image: Julio Cesar AGUILAR / AFP
The fact that Bafana Bafana have made it through to the knockout stages of the Fifa World Cup for the first time in their history is monumental, and much of the credit has to go to coach Hugo Broos.
This World Cup marked the first time Bafana had qualified for the tournament since the 2002 edition, having gained automatic entry as hosts in 2010.
The major achievement, therefore, was simply qualifying again for football’s biggest showpiece.
However, once the tournament rolled around, expectations quickly grew.
Those lofty ambitions came crashing back down to earth after an opening 2-0 loss to co-hosts Mexico on June 11.
Bafana conceded inside the first 10 minutes and looked utterly toothless in attack.
On June 18, they again appeared short of creativity and cutting edge against Czech Republic, although they managed to secure a crucial 1-1 draw thanks to a late penalty from Teboho Mokoena.
It was then time to face a dangerous South Korea side on Thursday. Despite seeing just 31% of the possession, Bafana looked revitalised in attack.
They fired off 14 shots at goal and were finally rewarded when Thapelo Maseko broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute. That proved enough to secure a 1-0 victory and book their place in the Round of 32 in this expanded 48-team World Cup.
The last time Bafana experienced anything close to this level of excitement and euphoria was back in 1996 when they won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations.
I watched that triumph as a wide-eyed 10-year-old sports-loving boy. Thirty years later, the cynicism of a grumpy 40-year-old has, at least for now, been replaced by optimism about South African football once again.
And if Bafana keep making history, don’t be surprised if the calls of “Watch out Cyril, Hugo Broos for president” only grow louder.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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