TAKE YOURSELF as it is, the lessons learned by the Bafana Bafana players in the first two matches of Group A of the World Cup will be useful for this national team to avoid embarrassment if they are lucky enough to advance to the Last 32.
This was said by the Bafana coach, Hugo Broos, when all of South Africa celebrated their first point in the 2026 World Cup by drawing 1-1 with Czechia on Thursday in Atlanta, United States.
Teboho Mokoena scored a penalty that brought Bafana back in the final minutes against Czechia. However, he will not play when Mzansi faces South Korea in the final group game at Monterrey Stadium, Mexico, on Thursday because he has received two yellow cards in the World Cup.
Broos was heavily criticized for the way he tied the scheme in the historic first match that Bafana lost to Mexico 2-0.
He has changed the scheme he started with in Czechia, and got a result that leaves it in the hands of his team to fight for a place in the Last 32.
Although it was clear that Broos was proud of the way his team played, especially in the second half, he did not hide that the lessons in this tournament are the only important ones because going a long way will not happen.
“What I pray for is that the players take the lessons they learn from this tournament as they are,” said Broos in a press conference.
“The level of this competition is much higher than what Bafana players are used to, so this is their chance to sharpen themselves with all the knowledge they will need in the future.
“I am happy with the way we played in the second half and if we continue with it, I believe we can win against South Korea even though it will come with its own risks.
“Learning is more important than anything else because if we are honest people, our national team is not the one that can reach the quarterfinals or semi-finals of the World Cup.
“We still have a long way to go, but it’s good that we are learning lessons that will be useful even after the competition in Mexico, Canada and the USA.”
Although the local team is doing a great job by participating in this competition, this year there have been signs of a decline in quality.
Bafana Bafana last won in the last group game in the Africa Cup of Nations, defeating Zimbabwe 3-2 in December last year.
This year, before the World Cup, they played five matches, were defeated by Cameroon and Panama, and played three draws against Panama, Nicaragua and Jamaica.
Although they got a point through Mokoena’s penalty, the problem of goals has not been solved since they failed to score a goal from the middle of the game, which they will need to do in the upcoming game against Korea.