Winning AFCON should be the next goal - Hugo Broos

Broos was appointed by the South African Football Association (SAFA) on 5 May 2021, becoming the 19th coach to lead Bafana Bafana. 

His long-term mandate was to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

He has since met those Key performance indicators, going as far as clinching a bronze medal at the 2023 AFCON and guiding South Africa to the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the very first time in history.

Speaking to the media in a press conference following South Africa’s arrival home, Broos said that over the past 5 years the team has grown, progressed and learned a lot by playing at the highest level... 

"For a country like South Africa, it is so important to participate in the big tournaments like the AFCON and the World Cup. This competition is a very high level, and if you are maybe not ready to achieve that level, you can still learn a lot. You've seen in the past five years how this team has grown and progressed. This has to go on for the future, because if you miss the next AFCON or the next World Cup then you are back five years ago at the same point, that's why it's important to keep up this momentum and become better.

"Winning the AFCON has to be the next goal," stated the Bafana Bafana boss. 

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The 74-year-old says it is a historical moment for South African football that the national team reached the second round of the World Cup, something that had been a goal from the very beginning…

"We are very happy and satisfied with the performance we had during the World Cup, it was not easy, but we made it, and it is historical for South African football. Reaching the knockout stage was our goal from the very beginning. We also need to look at the future to see what we can do better and improve on in the coming months and years."

A total of nine out of the ten African nations that participated at this year’s global showpiece qualified for the Round of 32, which is record-breaking. CAF teams also had the highest group stage progression rate of any confederation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

However, a number of these African nations have exited at the Round of 32. 

Broos believes African teams have struggled with maintaining concentration …