South Africa coach Hugo Broos has insisted that his team is not afraid of any African team ahead of their 2026 World Cup qualifier clash against Nigeria in June, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Bafana Bafana have improved since 2021, when Broos took over as coach. The Belgian has built the team around home-based players, and they have achieved a good level of success as a result.
In the last Africa Cup of Nations, they performed well, finishing third after losing to Nigeria in the semi-final. However, they also defeated the 2022 World Cup finalists Morocco in the run-up to their bronze-medal finish.
During this international break, the Bafana Bafana returned to action for the first time since the AFCON third-place game against DR Congo, and they had games against Andorra and Algeria.
In the first game against Andorra, in which Broos used mostly new players, they got a 1-1 draw. And in the second game against Algeria on Tuesday, most of their stars returned to the starting lineup, and the game eventually ended 3-3.
The two friendly games were the last games for South Africa before their World Cup qualifiers fixture against Nigeria in June, and Broos is currently satisfied with the level that his team is playing at. He believes that with the results they have gotten from their previous games, there is no need to fear any African opposition.
“We played against a very strong team, but I do not think there was much difference between the quality of our game and the quality of the game in Algeria,” Broos said per Sunday World.
“That means we have progressed in the last few months. We already showed that in the AFCON, and we did it again against Algeria. So, I don’t think we have to be afraid anymore of playing against any team in Africa.”
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles are still trying to find their feet after Jose Peseiro left the coaching position at the end of February.
Finidi George, the interim coach, led Nigeria to a win and a loss against Mali, and no one knows who will lead the team against South Africa.
N.B: Given South Africa's results this international break, do you think the Super Eagles stand a chance? Leave your comments below.
