South Africa coach Hugo Broos has lauded his side for maintaining their focus and professionalism during the final TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 qualifiers, particularly after securing their spot for the tournament in Morocco.
In an era where teams often take their foot off the gas once qualification is secured, Broos was keen to highlight how his squad refused to fall into the same trap as other teams who had already qualified and seemingly took their foot off the pedal in their final qualifying fixtures.
Bafana Bafana demonstrated their intent by emphatically dispatching South Sudan 3-0 at the Cape Town Stadium on the last day of qualifiers, finishing top of Group K with 14 points, ahead of second-placed Uganda and third-placed Congo.
The victory capped off a superb campaign for Broos' men, who went unbeaten in the group stages and showed no signs of complacency despite having already booked their place at next year's AFCON.
"First of all, I have to congratulate my team for the performance. Not only for the performance, but also for the mentality this team showed throughout the entire 90 minutes. During the pre-match meeting, I showed them a few results of teams who were already qualified, but they lost their game, Tunisia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso. They all lost their last games. I asked the players not to spoil the party and that shows again the mentality that we have in that team, those guys are hungry. Those guys know how to take their responsibility. They couldn't disappoint the big crowd - and they didn't," said Broos.
The Belgian coach emphasised the importance of finishing the qualifiers on a high, ensuring that his team remains sharp and ready for the challenge of the AFCON in Morocco next year.
"From the first minute, we played good football, it was a high tempo. We had chances during all the game. I think we made people happy and this is something that is very important too. So more and more we win supporters over. There's a big difference from two years ago when there were 2000 or 5000 people coming to see our games.
"And the people are coming because when they come to the stadium, they see something and this is what we always wanted to do and now we are able to do it because we have a good team," Broos said.
The success in the qualifiers has also helped solidify Broos' vision for Bafana Bafana, with the team's blend of youth and experience making them a formidable force on the continent.
