South Africa coach Hugo Broos, a 74-year-old Belgian, is preparing for the biggest match of his 38-year coaching career. Bafana Bafana have reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time and face Canada on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Broos's joy stems from succeeding where many, including Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira, failed. A 1-0 win over higher-ranked South Korea (goal by Thapelo Maseko) secured second place in Group A and a spot in the round of 32.

The group stage began poorly with a 2-0 loss to co-hosts Mexico. A 1-1 draw with Czechia (Teboho Mokoena penalty) left many pessimistic. But the team showed passion and belief against Korea.

Broos told AFP: "It was a hugely emotional moment – getting past the group stage for the first time. We are ready for the Canadians. My team will fight for 90 minutes, and longer if necessary."

If South Africa eliminate Canada, they will face the Netherlands or Morocco in the last 16. However, Broos was angry at criticism after the Mexico loss: "I do things my way. I do not read social media trash. Some people should just shut up."

After the 2010 World Cup, South Africa endured a decade of underachievement, often missing AFCON and three consecutive World Cups. When Broos took over in 2021, Bafana attracted crowds of fewer than 200. Before the 2026 World Cup, they drew 50,000 fans.

After finishing third at the 2024 AFCON and winning a 2026 World Cup qualifying group including Nigeria, the team slumped: a last-16 exit at the 2025 AFCON and seven matches without a win before beating Korea.

Broos partly blamed the early AFCON exit on allegations of racism and sexism before the tournament. He said of late-arriving defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi: "He would enter my hotel room as a black and leave as a white." A federation official called it "an unfortunate choice of words." Broos also criticized the player's agent as "a nice little woman who thinks she knows about football."

Source: www.aljazeera.com