Broos Confident in Bafana’s Prospects for World Cup Qualification
Bafana Bafana’s coach, Hugo Broos, remains hopeful that his team can achieve a crucial victory against Rwanda on Tuesday in their final FIFA World Cup qualifying match, while also wishing for positive results in other games.
South Africa finds itself in a tough situation: they need to beat Rwanda by at least three goals at Mbombela Stadium and rely on Nigeria to win against Benin in Uyo, with both matches scheduled for the same time on Tuesday.
Bafana Bafana’s chances have been complicated by a disappointing draw against Zimbabwe in their penultimate qualifying match at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday.
To make matters worse, Benin strengthened their position in Group C by defeating Rwanda in Kigali, accumulating 17 points—two more than Bafana Bafana, who currently stand at 15.
Nigeria, fresh off a victory over Lesotho, is now just one point behind South Africa in third place. The Super Eagles will be looking for an unexpected outcome from Rwanda while aiming to beat Benin to secure their World Cup spot, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico next year.
“Our main focus is on this match,” Broos remarked.
“As Ronwen [Williams] highlighted, we cannot influence events in Nigeria. If we secure a win, we will see what happens. I genuinely believe that our hopes and dreams could be realized tomorrow [Tuesday].”
Broos praised his team’s efforts against Zimbabwe, asserting that they were simply unlucky.
“We are well-prepared, ready to perform well again. Despite what some may say about our game against Zimbabwe, our performance was not poor,” he noted.
“We just required a stroke of luck. If fortune had favored us, we would have won. Just look at Benin’s goal against Rwanda—despite Rwanda’s better play, a goalkeeper error changed everything, and that’s football for you.”
The Belgian coach urged fans to keep a positive mindset and support the team.
“I’ve advised the players in the past few days that while the recent result wasn’t favorable, this is not the time for self-doubt or to criticize the team’s quality and strength,” he clarified.
“We should avoid what some are currently doing—doubting and criticizing. I believe we need to unite behind the team. I’m confident we will be ready to give our all for a victory. Hopefully, luck will be on our side, leading to the outcome everyone in Nigeria desires—a defeat for Benin.”
Meanwhile, Ghana has become the latest African nation to secure a spot in the FIFA World Cup, joining major North African teams such as Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Only group winners from the African qualifiers will earn automatic qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the USA, while the four best runners-up will get another opportunity through a playoff round.
