Hugo Broos has led South Africa to the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

South Africa’s World Cup campaign is already a success after it reached the knockout ​stage for the first time, but coach Hugo Broos said on ‌Saturday his side is hungry for more when it ​faces Canada in the last 32.

Broos’s side takes ⁠on Canada in Los Angeles on Sunday after advancing from the group stage with a surprise 1-0 victory over South Korea, and the ‌Belgian said reaching the knockout rounds had fulfilled the team’s initial objective.

“I think we can say already ‌now that the World Cup is a success for ‌us,” ⁠Broos told reporters.

“Everybody expected and hoped that we should ⁠be in the second round. We are in the second round. But that doesn’t mean now that we are happy and that we just play ​the game tomorrow and ‌go home.

“Once you are there, you want more.”

Broos said South Africa would need to reproduce the level and mentality it showed against South Korea if it is to overcome Canada, ‌which he described as a physically imposing side that ​presses aggressively and gives opponents little time on the ball.

“They all go for the same goal,” he ⁠said. “The moment they lose the ball, everyone wants to win it back. That is very difficult to play against.”

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South Africa, however, ‌has grown into the tournament after losing their opening match to Mexico at the Azteca stadium, with Broos saying the experience of playing on the biggest stage had helped his squad to adapt.

“The first game was very good for us,” he said. “Now we believe in ourselves.”

At 74, Broos also acknowledged ‌this is likely to be his final World Cup and suggested it could ​bring the curtain down on his coaching career.

He said he missed his family and grandchildren in Belgium ⁠but joked that following South Africa’s win over South Korea, his ⁠wife had given him permission to extend his stay.

“She said, ‘Okay, you can stay another week, there’s no problem’,” ‌Broos said.

Whether or not it proves to be his final World Cup, Broos said his players were determined to ​extend the journey by at least one more match.

Published on Jun 28, 2026