South Africa’s Broos smiles and smiles in Canada ahead of the World Cup | World Cup 2026 news

South Africa and Canada are both competing in the World Cup finals for the first time.

South African coach Hugo Broos has a big smile and a little laugh as he prepares for the biggest game of his 38-year professional career.

After reaching the finals of the World Cup for the first time, Bafana Bafana (The Boys) will face Canada on Sunday in Los Angeles in the first round of the last 32.

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The joy of the 74-year-old Belgian grandfather comes from the success where various coaches, including the famous Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira, have failed.

A 1-0 midweek win in South Korea who are at the top, through the winner Thapelo Maseko, got South Africa the second place in Group A and qualifications for the knockout stage.

It was a successful end to a mini-league campaign that started inauspiciously two weeks ago as Bafana came out on top. losing 2-0 for co-hosts in Mexico.

A little change in the score 1-1 and Czechia, courtesy of the late Teboho Mokoena penalty, left many in South Africa feeling hopeless ahead of their encounter with the Koreans.

But the team won, showing enthusiasm that did not happen in the first games. A more clinical finish would have created a better chance of success in Mexico.

Recalling Korea’s success, Broos told the AFP news agency that the team he coached from 2021 “believes in itself”.

“It was a very exciting moment – going through the group for the first time,” said Broos, who led Cameroon to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.

“We didn’t do well against Mexico and a little bit better against Czechoslovakia.” This meant defeating Korea.

“We are ready for the Canadians. My team will fight for 90 minutes, and if necessary. Let’s hope for another good result.”

If South Africa eliminate Canada, which has 22 places in the world rankings, it will face either the Netherlands or Morocco in the last 16.

But amid the euphoria of first-round exits in the 1998, 2002 and 2010 World Cups, Broos was angered by criticism following the loss to Mexico.

“There was a lot of criticism from current and former coaches and players and other supporters.

“I don’t read trash on social media, I don’t listen to self-important people.

Someone said that a statue should be built by South Africans to honor me, I told them to make it out of wood so that it burns quickly if we fail.

After the 2010 World Cup, South Africa endured a decade of failure, often failing to qualify for the AFCON and missing out on three consecutive World Cups.

When Broos took over in 2021, Bafana was attracting less than 200 people. Before they left for the 2026 World Cup, they drew 50,000 fans to a friendly match.

After finishing third at the 2024 AFCON and winning the 2026 World Cup qualifiers including Nigeria, Bafana fell.

They made it to the last 16 in the 2025 AFCON and, before defeating South Korea, went seven games without a win.

Broos criticized Morocco’s early AFCON departure on grounds that before the African tournament were racist and sexist.

Angry at defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s late arrival for training, Broos said the player “enters my hotel room as a black man and leaves as a white man”.

The head of the South African Football Association defended Broos, telling AFP that it was “unpleasant to choose a word about tongues wailing in a country with racial problems”.

Broos, who was part of the Belgium team that reached the semifinals in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, was not happy that Mbokazi chose to leave Soweto Orlando Pirates for Chicago Fire this year instead of going to Europe.

He called the mixed-race assistant “a nice young woman who thinks she knows about football”. A threatened case of discrimination or gender discrimination by a lawmaker has not appeared.