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South Africa coach, Hugo Broos, has said his players silenced their critics after Bafana Bafana qualified for the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history.

South Africa defeated South Korea 1-0 on Wednesday to finish second in Group A behind co-hosts Mexico, who won all three group matches.

The African side, appearing at the World Cup for the fourth time, had been written off after losing 2-0 to Mexico in their opening game.

However, they recovered with a draw against the Czech Republic before beating South Korea in Monterrey through Thapelo Maseko’s second-half goal.

“I’m very proud of the performance of my team and I think we gave an answer to all those big mouths of the last weeks that thought that we had to change something,” Broos said.

“We just did what we did. We just did what I wanted to do and this is the result.”

Broos, 74, who has coached South Africa since 2021, described the achievement as emotional, noting that he was nearing the end of his career.

“I said it already in the past that probably it will be one of the last games of my career and when you can end a career like I had in this way, I think everybody or every coach dreams of it,” he said.

The Belgian said he always believed in the squad despite criticism.

“Between me as a coach and them as players is yes, maybe something unique, I’m the coach, but I’m not a coach,” he said.

“I think I’m a friend of theirs. So the relationship between the players and me, this is very good.”

South Africa will face co-hosts Canada in Los Angeles on Sunday, with a place in the last 16 at stake.

“I just know that the players will be ready again and try to achieve the third round,” Broos said.

“It should be even more historic. But those players are chasing those things. Those players want to prove to everyone and to show that they are a good team. So we will see next Sunday if we can go further.”

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As the 2026 World Cup gathers momentum in North America, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has expressed frustration over Nigeria’s absence from the tournament.

Wike, who spoke at the commissioning of the Gwagwalada-Kuje Road project on Wednesday, where ex-Super Eagles’ captain, Joseph Yobo, was among dignitaries, expressed sadness over Nigeria’s failure to feature at the World Cup.

The minister said that despite Nigeria’s credentials and the number of players of Nigerian heritage featuring at the World Cup, not seeing the Super Eagles play on the biggest stage is hard to accept.
“Yes, we have congratulated one of our stars, Joseph Yobo.

“But let me use this medium through you to tell the Super Eagles: we are not happy,” the minister said while addressing Yobo at the event.

“If nobody else will tell you that—because I saw people clapping for you the moment they saw the Super Eagles—I said, ‘I won’t clap.’ I won’t clap because I watch the World Cup. I see countries I have never heard of before qualifying to play in the World Cup, and I am sitting down for hours watching countries that are completely unknown.
“In this contest, we have no less than 13 top Nigerian players playing all over the world, but here we are; we did not qualify. Yobo, go and tell them. We are not happy.”

Nigeria failed to reach a second consecutive World Cup tournament after losing to DR Congo in the African playoff tournament last year.

The Super Eagles, who first featured in the competition in 1994, made the play-offs after losing the direct ticket to South Africa despite beating neighbours Benin Republic 4-0 in the final match of the qualification series.
Despite that, Nigeria got a lifeline via the African playoffs after finishing as one of the four second-best-placed teams in the qualification race.

They won their first match against Gabon but agonisingly fell on penalties to the Leopards of DR Congo. That meant the Central Africans represented the continent in the intercontinental playoffs, where they eventually picked one of the two tickets to the World Cup.

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Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a timely response to his critics on Tuesday, scoring twice as Portugal cruised to a commanding 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan in their Group K clash at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston.

The emphatic win revived Portugal’s World Cup campaign after their opening draw against DR Congo and moved Roberto Martínez’s side into a strong position in the race for a place in the Round of 32.

Ronaldo wasted little time making his mark. The 41-year-old forward opened the scoring in the sixth minute, finishing from a João Cancelo assist to give Portugal an early advantage.

The goal saw him become the first player in football history to score in six different FIFA World Cups, further extending his remarkable international legacy.

Portugal doubled their lead in the 17th minute through Nuno Mendes, whose attacking run and clinical finish exposed Uzbekistan’s defensive frailties.

The Europeans continued to dominate possession and territory, pinning their opponents deep inside their own half.

Ronaldo struck again six minutes before the break, converting after being picked out by Bruno Fernandes.

The goal handed Portugal a comfortable 3-0 lead at half-time and underlined the veteran forward’s enduring influence on the international stage.

Any hopes of an Uzbek comeback disappeared shortly after the restart when goalkeeper Abduvokhid Nematov inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in the 60th minute, extending Portugal’s lead to four.

With the contest effectively settled, Portugal controlled proceedings and continued to create chances against a tiring Uzbek defence.

Rafael Leão completed the rout in the 87th minute, finishing brilliantly after a well-worked move involving Nelson Semedo to cap a dominant display from the 2016 European champions.

The victory leaves Portugal firmly back in contention for qualification ahead of their final group match, while Uzbekistan face a must-win encounter against DR Congo to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

For Ronaldo, however, the night belonged to him. Having faced growing questions about his role in the national team, the Portuguese captain answered in the most emphatic manner possible with goals, records and a performance that reminded the football world why he remains one of the game’s defining figures.