World Cup 2026: Pitso Mosimane proud of South Africa players despite elimination

Former South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane has hailed Bafana Bafana players despite suffering 2026 World Cup elimination.

Bafana Bafana’s impressive World Cup journey came to an end after a narrow 1-0 loss to Canada national soccer team in Los Angeles on Sunday night. The victory sent Canada into the last 16 in what was a landmark occasion, as both nations reached the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time in their history.

Reflecting on South Africa’s campaign, Mosimane praised the players for surpassing expectations and making the nation proud by advancing beyond the group stage.

“It’s been a good ride, sweet sour taste. We can be proud that the boys have gone to the knockout stages,” Mosimane told Smash Sport.

However, the experienced tactician also admitted that South Africa lacked enough cutting edge in attack against Canada, particularly in the final third where decisive moments often determine matches at the highest level.

“But we need more than that if we really looked at Canada – we didn’t look like we could not win but probably did not convince enough in our final third or final pass to say that we could’ve easily won,” he added.

The former Al Ahly coach stopped short of describing the defeat as disappointing, but stressed that South Africa must now focus on building a stronger future capable of competing consistently on the global stage.

“I don’t want to use the word disappointing but I would like to say what are we looking forward to,” Mosimane said.

Mosimane’s comments come amid growing speculation surrounding the future of current South Africa coach Hugo Broos. Broos recently appeared to soften his stance on retirement from the national team setup, although Mosimane’s name has reportedly resurfaced as a possible candidate to take over the Bafana Bafana job in the future.

Having enjoyed successful managerial spells across Africa, including continental triumphs with Al Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns, Mosimane remains one of the most respected coaches on the continent and continues to be strongly linked with a potential return to the South African national team dugout.