SAFA to hold talks with Hugo Broos over future after historic World Cup campaign

The South African Football Association (SAFA) says it will hold discussions with head coach Hugo Broos over his future following Bafana Bafana’s historic FIFA World Cup campaign.

SAFA president Danny Jordaan made the announcement on Thursday as he welcomed the national team home at OR Tambo International Airport after their Round of 32 exit from the tournament.

Although South Africa’s World Cup journey came to an end in the knockout stage, the team returned to a hero’s welcome after making history by progressing beyond the group stage for the first time.

Broos, who took charge of Bafana Bafana five years ago, had previously indicated that he intended to retire after the World Cup. However, Jordaan suggested the Belgian’s future remains undecided, with the football association eager to discuss the possibility of extending his stay.

Reflecting on Broos’ tenure, Jordaan praised the remarkable transformation of the national team under the experienced coach.

“It’s been a long journey of five years. We started at number 85 in the world, and we ended up now in the 40s. It’s a wonderful celebration of South African football and a huge contribution that was made, and I want to personally thank Hugo Broos and his technical staff for working day and night,” Jordaan told reporters.

“I’ve been there to watch and see how hard they work to get this team to where it is. We made it to the last 32, and in all the other games, we were unlucky in the end.”

The SAFA president also commended the broader performance of African nations at the expanded World Cup, highlighting the continent’s strong showing.

“I want to also congratulate the African teams. An unprecedented nine of the 10 African teams went to the last 32. That’s 90 percent of the teams that entered,” he said.

Jordaan reserved special praise for captain Ronwen Williams and the rest of the squad, whose performances throughout the tournament captured the imagination of South African supporters.

“We want to say to Ronwen and the coach, we are indeed proud of your performance. Now, we are back home, and we are going to evaluate our performance in the tournament. We will talk about it, and we will tell you again about the next phase of South African football.”

He added that discussions with Broos would be held before any decision is made on the team’s direction.

“We are hopeful that we will continue on this upward trend. We need to talk to Hugo Broos, and we will let you know after that conversation.”

The timing of those talks is likely to be crucial, with little room for delay. South Africa’s preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers are set to begin soon, with the qualifying campaign scheduled to kick off in September.

Whether Broos remains in charge or opts to bring his successful spell to an end, his tenure has been widely credited with restoring belief in Bafana Bafana. Under his leadership, South Africa climbed significantly in the FIFA world rankings and achieved one of the country’s finest performances on football’s biggest stage.

SAFA is now expected to move quickly to determine who will lead the national team into the next chapter as attention turns towards qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.