Broos believes Bafana can challenge at Afcon, eyes World Cup qualification

Broos was impressed at how Bafana Bafana kept their focus to play for top spot against South Sudan in Cape Town on Saturday and believes they can be competitive at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and qualify for the World Cup.

Unlike some bigger-name teams in the final rounds of Afcon qualification, Bafana, having qualified on Thursday, kept focus to follow up their 2-0 win against Uganda in Kampala on Friday with Tuesday’s 3-0 victory against South Sudan to top Group K.

A team that has not lost since surprising with their best finish in 24 years at this year’s Nations Cup finals in Ivory Coast of third is high on confidence. Bafana will look to use their Afcon qualification as a springboard to reaching the 48-team 2026 World Cup, where they are among three teams leading Group C. That in turn can be a springboard to a competitive Afcon finals performance in Morocco in the tournament that spans December 2025 and January 2026.

Broos congratulated his team on keeping focus against a South Sudan fighting to keep the score from becoming a rout at a raucous Cape Town Stadium.

“During the prematch meeting I showed them the results of teams who had already qualified and lost their last games — Tunisia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso. And I asked the players not to spoil the party tonight,” he said.

“And again that shows the mentality we have in the team and that these guys are hungry, they know to take their responsibility — with the big crowd they couldn’t disappoint them, and they didn’t.

“From the first minute we played good football. It was a high tempo, we had chances throughout the game — 3-0, I think we made the people happy and this also important.

“So more and more we win supporters. It’s a big difference with two years ago when there were 2,000 or 5,000 people coming to watch our games. And the people are coming because when they come to the stadium they see something.

“This is what we always wanted to do and now we are able to do it because we have a good team. That this team still played 100% for 90 minutes to be first in the group, it’s the right mentality they showed.

“They didn’t spoil the party, so now everybody’s happy and now we know when we play the next game in the World Cup there will be a crowd.

“This is a great achievement. I’m very proud of this team, to be their coach.”

Broos, a Nations Cup winner with a young Cameroon in 2017, was asked if Bafana — a penalty shoot-out against Nigeria in the semifinals from reaching this year's final — can challenge in Morocco.

“We were competitive in January [and February, in Ivory Coast] and when you see the team play today, I think we have still progressed.

“And that doesn’t mean we have to now think we are where we have to be. No. But little by little we are becoming a very good team.

“And that will give us the confidence we need for the next thing we have to do, which is qualify for the World Cup. And of you ask me now, ‘will we qualify?’, I can’t say 'yes' because it’s a football game, and you know what happens in a football game.

“But I’m confident we can do it. I think, if South Africa [ever] can qualify for the World Cup it is now, because we have quality, we have a good team.

“We can do it. But we still have to do it.”

Broos is pleased at how his team increasingly carry out his instructions as they rack up positive results.

 “I think there was movement from all the team. There was a high tempo, good passing.

“It was what I asked because trying to make little passes to create chances would not be possible against [South Sudan]. So we asked them to play deep, catch them on the wings, have much movement — and everything I asked for I saw today.

“When you play that kind of football it’s very difficult for the opponent because there were players coming from everywhere — one goes deep the other pushes up.

“There was always movement in the team and we only conceded a few seconds of focus with the chance in the first half. For the rest everybody keeps concentration for the 90 minutes. This is what you want as a coach.”

Bafana ended with 14 points in Afcon Group K, Uganda 13, Congo four and South Sudan three. South Africa share top spot in World Cup qualifying Group C with Rwanda and Benin (seven points from four matches).