Extra Time: They may have been knocked out of Afcon, but Bafana Bafana showed they can qualify for the next Fifa World Cup, argues Michael Madyira.
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos might not have guided his team to Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) glory as promised, but he won the hearts of South Africans and others with the squad’s performance.
Broos arrived in Ivory Coast with a team that looked average, left fans unimpressed, and struggled for consistency.
But Bafana reached the Afcon semi-finals for the first time since 2000 and pushed Nigeria to the limit with a 1-1 draw, forcing the Super Eagles to win the penalty shootout 4-2 to advance to the final.
Along the way to the semi-finals, South Africa hammered Namibia 4-0, frustrated Tunisia and eliminated Morocco — Africa’s number-one team.
They silenced their critics, including me, with a team mainly composed of local Premier Soccer League (PSL) players.
There was very little difference to be seen in the quality of Bafana’s PSL players and a host of Nigeria’s Europe-based stars, who include those plying their trade in the Premier League.
The encouraging Afcon outing comes at a critical moment — Broos’s players needed something to boost their confidence ahead of the resumption of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
For a team that often endured stinging criticism, reaching the Afcon semi-final encourages their belief that they can qualify for the World Cup.
Bafana placed themselves in a good position with their impressive showing in Ivory Coast to qualify in a group for the tournament that includes the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Broos has already promised to guide the team back to the quadrennial global football competition where they last qualified in 2002 and last participated as hosts in 2010.
Despite suffering the setback of losing their second World Cup qualifier against Rwanda, Bafana still have a good chance to grab a ticket.
Interestingly, Nigeria are also in Group C and the two teams meet in June with the Super Eagles as hosts.
If South Africa maintains or improves their Afcon form, their qualification for the World Cup is distinctly possible.
Pictured above: Bafana Bafana players celebrating Teboho Mokoena’s goal against Nigeria.
Image source: Bafana Bafana
