Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has thanked the fans for their support after the team qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
After 15 long years, Bafana will be amongst the teams that will be competing in next year’s World Cup, which is held in Mexico, USA and Canada.
Broos, who took over as South African national soccer team coach in 2021, has guided the team to third in the last Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) edition and will look to go a step further in December.
Broos helps Bafana qualify for World Cup
On Tuesday, Bafana defeated Rwanda 3-0 in Mbombela to seal a World Cup spot.
“Four years ago, nobody came to watch Bafana. Why would they? The team was not qualifying for tournaments, and people didn’t see the fight,” Broos told the media.
“Now it’s different. People know that these players give everything for them, and that’s why the stadiums are full again.”
Since their impressive display at the last Afcon, Bafana have mostly packed stadiums, and in Mbombela on Tuesday, it was evidence once more that fans have fallen in love with the team again.
Broos dedicated Tuesday’s win to Bafana supporters.
“Whether it was Durban, Bloemfontein, or Mbombela, they’ve been there. Tonight was for them,” he said. “This team fights for South Africa, and we will keep doing that at AFCON and in America.”
Broos also revealed that he will retire from coaching after the 2026 World Cup, which will make him the longest-serving Bafana coach.