We Shut Up Big Mouths — South Africa’s Coach After Beating South Korea

South Africa coach Hugo Broos has declared that his team silenced its critics after securing a historic place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over South Korea on Wednesday.

The result marked the first time the Bafana Bafana have qualified for the knockout rounds of the World Cup, a remarkable achievement for a side that had been widely written off following a disappointing start to the tournament.

South Africa, competing in the World Cup for the fourth time and their first appearance since hosting the competition in 2010, recovered from an opening 2-0 defeat to Group A winners Mexico. They subsequently earned a draw against the Czech Republic before defeating South Korea in a decisive battle for second place in the group.

Thapelo Maseko scored the winning goal in the second half in Monterrey, helping South Africa finish behind Mexico, who recorded three victories from three matches.

Speaking after the historic triumph, Broos expressed pride in his players and aimed a dig at those who doubted the team’s ability to compete at the tournament.

“I’m very proud of the performance of my team and I think we gave an answer to all those big mouths of the last weeks that thought that we had to change something,” Broos said.

“We just did what we did. We just did what I wanted to do and this is the result.”

The 74-year-old Belgian, who has managed South Africa since 2021, described the achievement as one of the most emotional moments of his coaching career.

“I said it already in the past that probably it will be one of the last games of my career and when you can end a career like I had in this way, I think every coach dreams of it,” he said.

Broos credited the success to the strong bond between himself and his players, insisting he always believed in the squad despite criticism from outside.

“Between me as a coach and them as players is maybe something unique. I’m the coach, but I’m not just a coach. I think I’m a friend of theirs,” he added.

South Africa will now face co-hosts Canada in Los Angeles on Sunday for a place in the Round of 16.

Broos expressed confidence that his players would be ready for the challenge and eager to create even more history.

“It should be even more historic. Those players are chasing those things. They want to prove to everyone that they are a good team. We will see next Sunday if we can go further,” he said.