South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has expressed confidence ahead of his team’s crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe on Friday, saying Bafana Bafana have every reason to believe they will make it to the tournament.
Hugo Broos, who has guided the team through a rollercoaster qualifying campaign, believes South Africa still holds an edge over their main rivals, Nigeria and the Benin Republic, as the race for the Group C ticket goes down to the wire later this month.
Speaking to reporters in Johannesburg, the Belgian tactician broke down the numbers, saying: “That game on Friday is maybe the most important. If we can win that game, you have 17 points. Nigeria, if they win their two games, can only have 17 points, the same thing for Rwanda. But Benin cannot win their two games because they play against Nigeria and Rwanda; therefore, the game on Friday is so important for us to win.”
Benin currently top the group with 14 points, ahead of South Africa on goal difference. Nigeria and Rwanda both sit on 11 points, still within touching distance. But with the final round of fixtures approaching, every goal, every moment, and every result now carries extra weight.
News reports that the 72-year-old coach has endured a challenging few weeks after FIFA deducted three points from South Africa for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in the 1-0 win over Lesotho in March.
Mokoena had already been suspended after collecting two yellow cards earlier in the qualifiers.
The ruling dropped South Africa to second place, just behind the Benin Republic, but Broos insists the setback has only strengthened his players’ resolve.
“There are no doubts, there have never been any doubts from my side, and I will try to transfer this to the players at a meeting we will have on Tuesday,” he said via the South African Football Association’s website.
“I believe in this group and I am sure that they will do everything in their power to win that game on Friday. Why should we doubt ourselves now after our performances in the qualifiers? If there is a team that deserves to go to the World Cup, it is South Africa.”
Friday’s clash at the FNB Stadium is expected to draw a huge home crowd, and the coach knows how important their energy will be.
A win would take South Africa back to the top of the group and pile pressure on Nigeria and the Benin Republic before their own fixtures.
Still, Broos is keeping things simple. “We just need to do our job,” he told reporters after training. “We can’t control what happens in the other games, but we can control our performance.”
