Hugo Broos, coach of South Africa during the Bafana Bafana press conference at Southern Sun Hotel in Pretoria on 23 March 2026 ©Samuel ShivambuBackpagePix
Wednesday Mar 25, 2026. 13:22
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has stated that he is not focussed on the approaching end of his tenure in charge of the South African national team.
The 73-year-old, who was appointed to lead Bafana Bafana in May 2021, is approaching the end of his contract with the South African Football Association [SAFA]. His deal is set to expire at the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
With the tournament – and the end of his contract – fast approaching, Broos stated the his focus is firmly on the task ahead.
“The end is for later. Now it’s full 100% again what I did the past five years,” said Broos, speaking ahead of South Africa’s World Cup preparation clashes against Panama.
“I’m not thinking at the end, not at all. I’m just thinking about how can we do a better World Cup than [the AFCON] we did a few months ago in Morocco. That’s the most important thing.”
The Belgian tactician did hint at the possibility of him staying in his current role after the tournament, saying he wants to leave on a high.
“And if I should stop after the World Cup, then I want to stop on a beautiful moment, not in a moment of disappointment or maybe criticism or whatever. If I stop, it will be a nice end of my career. And I will do everything for that in the next three months to succeed and to achieve a very good World Cup with good results.”
With Mexico, South Korea and either Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia and the Republic of Ireland joining South Africa in group A, Broos knows the task will be tough but is aiming to take Bafana to the knockout stages for the first time.
“Maybe, I said it already, we have to believe that even this rather tough group, that we have a chance because of that third place that will help us a lot to survive the group stages. And I think if South Africa can achieve that, then we can speak about a very successful World Cup.”
With regards to Broos’ future, all will be revealed at the end of the tournament.
By Nic Gleeson