Hugo Broos reacts to Bafana World Cup exit

28.06.26 FT World Cup

South Africa

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Canada

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Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has reacted to his team's elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the hands of co-hosts Canada in the Round of 32 on Sunday.

South Africa suffered a heartbreaking defeat as they fell to a solitary goal from Stephen Estaquiou in stoppage time, with the game looking poised for extra time.

Meanwhile, having previously hinted at stepping down as the Bafana boss at the end of their World Cup campaign, Broos refrained from delving deep into his immediate future.

The Belgian mentor, instead, opted to dissect his team's shortcomings in the loss to Canada, stressing speed and power as key fine margins that decided the match.

“I think, first of all, it's not clever to take decisions [about the future] when you are disappointed, so I will not do it either. At the the other side, I think we have to be honest that today we lost the game because there was a lack of power and speed in our team compared to our opponents,” said Broos.

"We lost a lot of duels man against man, and the running speed and the speed of execution, when you see how quick it went with Canada, and us for the build-up how long sometimes it was before we took a decision. Those are things we have to work on and this is also what I said already many times in South Africa but nobody believes me.

"Modern football is more than technique, modern football is power and speed, and when you don't have it in your team and you play against a team that has it - and it was the big quality of this team, not only that but that's the big quality - the speed and power makes it difficult.

While the outspoken Broos acknowledges his troops had a tough time against Jesse Marsch's men, he says Bafana can look back at their run with a huge sense of pride.

“We had a difficult game, certainly, but at the other side when we look back I think we can be very satisfied of what we did. It was 24 years ago that South Africa could qualify for a World Cup, we did it, everyone hoped and some expected that we should achieve the second round, we did it also,” added the veteran tactician.

"We are disappointed because we wanted to win and it would be a little miracle if we had been in the third round, but we don't have to be too disappointed, again, what we did was good and I'm very happy, I'm very proud of my team.

Hlayisani Magoro

Editorfr, en

Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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