Adel Amrouche hails Hugo Broos for guiding South Africa to 2026 World Cup

Rwanda head coach Adel Amrouche has lauded Hugo Broos and Bafana Bafana after South Africa secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

South Africa sealed their spot at the global showpiece with a commanding 3-0 victory over Rwanda in their final Group C qualifier at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Goals from Thalente Mbatha, Oswin Appollis, and Evidence Makgopa sealed the win for Bafana.

While Broos’ men were impressive on the pitch, their qualification was also aided by Nigeria’s win over Benin.

Despite Rwanda’s elimination earlier in the campaign, Amrouche was full of admiration for Bafana Bafana’s resilience and consistency throughout the qualifiers.

“First of all, I want to congratulate all the people of the nation of South Africa because they believe. I also follow this group, and I felt the tension, it was big,” Amrouche told the media after the match.

“Sometimes people lose hope, this is the magic of football, and also sometimes we can’t see the true faces of the people who support you only when you are in good days, and those who support you when you are down. Some forget, so this is our circle, this is our life as coaches.

Amrouche also praised Broos for his leadership and urged Bafana Bafana to uphold Africa’s pride on the global stage.

“I’m happy for the coach of Bafana Bafana, and for all the team, because Africa needs people who can represent it like Nigeria, the strong teams, who can represent the continent in the World Cup.

“Now I think the responsibility is big for them because when you play for the continent and for the country, you must give more than what we saw in this qualification. You must always be at the top,” he added.

South Africa are making a return to the World Cup for the first time since 2010.