Bafana Bafana reach first-ever World Cup knockout round, having fallen short even on home soil in 2010

Defensive shape, pace on the break key to plan against South Korea

'This team's mentality is remarkable — a model for others'

South Africa head coach Hugo Broos speaks at an official pre-match press conference at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, on Tuesday (local time), ahead of the Group A finale against South Korea at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [Yonhap]
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos speaks at an official pre-match press conference at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, on Tuesday (local time), ahead of the Group A finale against South Korea at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [Yonhap]

South Africa attributed their victory over South Korea in the final Group A match to a tactical approach that set them apart from their opponents.

South Africa defeated South Korea 1-0 Thursday at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Monterrey, in their Group A finale at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Defying both public opinion and AI-powered supercomputer projections that had favored South Korea, Bafana Bafana shut down the Korean attack and struck on a sharp counter to claim all three points. The result dropped South Korea to third in the group while lifting South Africa to second — and into the round of 32 on their own merit.

Winning coach Hugo Broos said at the post-match press conference that South Korea had been exactly what he expected. "They are a fast team, they run a lot, and we knew they would look for space in behind the defense," he said.

Broos built South Africa's game plan around a thorough analysis of South Korea. The strategy rested on two pillars: when South Korea had the ball, close down every space; when South Africa won it back, release their quick forwards into those same spaces.

"When South Korea had the ball, we succeeded in covering all the space," Broos said. "When we had the ball, we were threatening. We had fast players, and we had players who could play passes in between. That is why we won on Thursday."

He said South Africa had created enough chances in the first half even without scoring, and used halftime to reinforce belief. "I told the players at halftime to keep believing," he said. "I told them to keep playing the way they had in the first half, and that if we scored when the chance came, we would win — and that is exactly what happened."

Broos also stressed the importance of preparation. "It is always important to have good analysts," he said, adding that South Korea had been thoroughly scouted.

Tapelo Maseko scored the opener in the 63rd minute, after which South Korea threw on Jo Gyu-sung (FC Midtjylland) and others in search of an equalizer but could not break through. "After we scored, South Korea became desperate to equalize, but we held our positions well and they had very few truly threatening moments," Broos said.

Broos signed a five-year contract to take charge of the South Africa national team in 2021. He noted that he had faced a great deal of criticism along the way. "I have been criticized a lot, and people did not understand what I was doing, but I never doubted myself," he said, "because this group of players had already given me so much."

He was equally generous in praising his squad. "The great strength of this South Africa team is that they stick together when things are not going well," he said. "In fact, they work even harder when things are difficult. The mentality of this team is truly remarkable. It can be a model for many other teams."

The win marked a historic first: South Africa have reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time. The team had failed to advance from the group stage even when they hosted the tournament in 2010. South Africa will face host nation Canada in the round of 32.


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