Hugo Broos has again suggested the World Cup could be his final tournament in charge of South Africa after the 1-0 defeat by Canada, telling journalists, “I have said this is my last World Cup, and it is.” He added that he did not need to advise a successor and that it was now up to the next coach to build on the team he leaves behind.
If Broos’s words mark the end of his tenure, he will go after overseeing a marked reversal in the national side’s fortunes. When he arrived in 2021, South Africa had missed the Africa Cup of Nations and had become accustomed to failing to reach major tournaments. Five years later, Bafana Bafana have qualified for back-to-back AFCONs, reached the semifinals in 2024, qualified for the World Cup and advanced past the group stage at the tournament for the first time.
The 74-year-old has emphasized a cultural shift within the squad, saying the “mentality of the team has changed a lot.” He recalled stopping training early when he first arrived because players were not working as expected and said, “You need to change that if you want to have success.” Broos has stressed intensity and a willingness to fight for 90 minutes as lasting hallmarks of the team.
Improvements on the field have matched that reset. Under Broos, South Africa tightened defensively, going almost 270 minutes without conceding across their final three World Cup matches and showing strong defensive discipline during the run to the AFCON bronze in Ivory Coast. He has also been credited with better organisation, greater commitment and integrating a new generation of players while publicly backing his squad through difficult periods.
Captain Ronwen Williams, speaking to ESPN, said Broos “installed belief inside this team since day one” and praised the coach as a father figure and a friend. Williams added that Broos had brought the country together and that, if this was his final tournament, the coach could “bow out with his head held high because the boys showed up.”
