Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has explained how he managed to put together a group of players that helped South Africa qualify for the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

This is the first time South Africa has directly made it to the global showpiece since the 2002 World Cup. The country was part of the 2010 World Cup, but as hosts.

“I know you have not always agreed with the choices I made, and I said already that I have a different criteria and choices than you do. For me, it’s important to have a player with quality, first of all, and the player with the right mentality, secondly. And a player who can do what I ask him,” said Broos.

“When I go to games to look for players, for me, the first thing I see is the mentality on the pitch; the rest I will see later.

“And now you see that certainly in the national team there is a fantastic mentality of winners; they want to win, they want to work hard, and we have to work hard,” stated the Belgian.

The 73-year-old is also intolerant of indiscipline, with a prime example being midfielder Sipho Mbule, who has finally come right after being snubbed since 2021.

“From the first minute he came to us, I called him and said to him, ‘Listen man, this is your second chance, after this, it’s finished, it’s up to you. I give you a chance. If you don’t grab it with two hands, it’s done. You will never be with Bafana Bafana as long as I’m the coach, and don’t forget there is the AFCON in December and maybe the World Cup in July next year. Do you want to be there?’

“He said ‘Yes’ and I said, ‘Okay, show me’… I told him after game (against Rwanda) that he grabbed his chance and congratulations for that,” added Broos.

The former Cameroon coach is building a team that could challenge for the Africa Cup of Nations in December, before the World Cup in America.