Hugo Broos set to make World Cup history with South Africa at 2026 tournament

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos is poised to enter football’s elite circle after leading South Africa to qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming one of the few men to feature in the tournament both as a player and a coach.

South Africa’s qualification marks a historic return to the global stage, ending a 16-year absence since the 2010 World Cup on home soil.

The 2026 edition, to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will see Bafana Bafana compete among the world’s best once again—a major milestone for a nation striving to reassert itself in international football.

“It’s an incredible opportunity for me and the team,” Broos said after securing qualification.

“The journey to the World Cup has been challenging, but qualifying is a testament to our hard work and resilience.”

Broos, who represented Belgium as a defender at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, will return to the same tournament 40 years later—this time from the touchline.

His presence at the 2026 event will also make him the oldest coach in World Cup history at 74 years and 62 days, surpassing Germany’s Otto Rehhagel, who guided Greece at the 2010 tournament aged 72 years and 317 days.

Should he take his place on the bench, Broos will join an exclusive list of football greats who have appeared in the World Cup as both player and manager.

That distinguished group includes Mário Zagallo, Franz Beckenbauer, Henri Michel, Alf Ramsey, and Didier Deschamps—legends who each shaped football history in their own era.

Broos’s achievement comes amid a resurgence in South African football.

Under his guidance, Bafana Bafana have developed a balanced squad blending youth and experience, with growing optimism that they can advance beyond the group stage for the first time since 1998.

The nation’s qualification has been hailed as a triumph of perseverance and renewal.

As anticipation builds for kickoff on June 11, 2026, in Mexico City, South Africans are once again daring to dream—believing that Hugo Broos’s experience and vision can propel their national team to new heights on the world stage.