SOUTH Africa head coach Hugo Broos has described his side’s 1-1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying draw with the Super Eagles yesterday as a positive result for Bafana Bafana.
Indeed, Broos expressed satisfaction with his players’ performance as they held on for the crucial point to ward off a desperate Nigeria side.
Captain William Troost-Ekong gave South Africa the lead at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein with an own goal, but Calvin Bassey headed the Super Eagles level just before half-time.
Although the match did not live up to its hype as both teams struggled to play fluid football on the bumpy surface, Broos had nothing negative to say about his players and their efforts.
“The performance of my team today, in this game, makes me enormously proud,” the former Indomitable Lions of Cameroon coach said in his review of the scrappy encounter.
“It may not have been good football at times, not at all, but the way they fought for every ball was nice to see for a coach.”
The result would have been extra satisfying for Broos, whose Cameroon side lost 4-0 to the Super Eagles in Uyo and drew 1-1 in Yaounde during the qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup.
The Super Eagles won that qualifying group and clinched its only ticket, but South Africa are on course to doing the same this time, eight years after.
Yesterday’s result keeps South Africa on top of Group C with 17 points, with the Super Eagles third six points behind.
The winners of Africa’s nine qualifying groups will earn straight tickets to the 2026 World Cup in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada, with the best four runners-up going through a complicated play-off process for an additional slot.