Williams reveals meeting that sparked Bafana’s World Cup turnaround

By Liam Maconi
2nd July 2026

Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams says a crucial team meeting held on the Monday after their 2-0 defeat to Mexico in their opening match proved to be the turning point in the team’s group-stage campaign.

South Africa returned home to a heroes’ welcome at O.R. Tambo International Airport on Thursday morning, where many fans dressed in green and gold greeted them.

Their FIFA World Cup campaign ended on Sunday at Los Angeles Stadium following a 1-0 defeat to Canada in the Round of 32.

Speaking to the media in a press conference following South Africa’s arrival, Williams revealed that during the meeting, coach Hugo Broos went through the team’s performance in detail, highlighting the mistakes that had cost them.

"The following Monday after the game we had a meeting, and everything was shown, the good and the bad moments, our mistakes and where we could improve.

"Then we obviously started to watch some of the other games and we realised what the level needed to be, and the mistakes we needed to cut out of our game. It was a good wake up call for us, and for us to see that the level is higher and it is different, but it also proved that we can compete and we can show our worth."

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Bafana Bafana’s turnaround in their performance ultimately saw them qualify for the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in history.

However, their hopes of extending their stay at this year’s tournament was cut short in the Round of 32 when Canada’s Stephen Eustáquio scored a late winner in stoppage time.

Bafana Bafana head coach, Hugo Broos also shed some light on the meeting, admitting his team was overwhelmed by the occasion in their opening match against co-hosts Mexico.

He revealed what was said to the players after the defeat and how those conversations led to a turnaround in performance in the other two group-stage matches…

"I think the players were a little bit overwhelmed by that event because we didn't play so bad defensively, but the moment we had the ball it was just a disaster in that game. We told them to forget about the wrong things but learn from it, and then to really go for it - which we did in the following games."