Hugo Broos on why Bafana can qualify for 2026 World Cup

In the wake of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers draw, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is upbeat his side can qualify for the tournament.

Broos was reacting to the FIFA World Cup qualification draw that was conducted on Thursday, saying Bafana have made huge progress as a team.

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The Belgian mentor, Broos, however, said winning away games will be crucial for his men to book a flight to the global showpiece that will be jointly staged in the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico in 2026.

BROOS ON WHY BAFANA CAN QUALIFY FOR WORLD CUP

The former Cameroon boss, Broos is adamant that he can lead the South African team to the showpiece who last appeared at the World Cup tournament in 2010 by virtue of being hosts.

In terms of the draw results, the 1996 African champions are placed together with Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Benin, Rwanda, and Lesotho in Group C.

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As 54 African nations will compete for the available 9.5 allocated spots for the African continent, the qualifiers are set to start in November 2023.

“The away games will be very important in a group like ours,” said Broos per SAFA media.

“But now a little bit more because we have five difficult away games for different reasons. I think it is possible for South Africa to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup first in the group.

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“If you see the progress we have made in the last two years, you cannot compare those qualifiers [for the 2026 World Cup] with the qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

“We are better now, we have a better team now. So okay, I am confident.”

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BROOS CHALLENGED BY BOTSWANA COUNTERPART MPOTE

The South African recently posted that Broos was challenged by his Botswana counterpart, Mogomotse Mpote after attacking the Botswana national team.

Mpote hit back at Broos, challenging him to win the AFCON and also ensure that he leads the Southern African nation to the World Cup.

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“I think South Africa employed him to take this team to the World Cup, he failed, didn’t he? To qualify and win the Afcon, isn’t it?,” said Mpote last week.

“We will always respect South Africa as a country and Bafana Bafana as a national team. We will always respect that [but] let’s see if he [Broos] will win AFCON if he will win the World Cup.”

Meanwhile, the winners of each Group in the World Cup qualifiers will automatically qualify for the prestigious tournament.

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