Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is edging closer to making history as he prepares to lead South Africa in their second Group A match at FIFA World Cup 2026.
The 74-year-old Belgian mentor will become the most-capped coach in the national team’s history after Bafana Bafana wrap up their group-stage commitments at the tournament.
Stepping down after FIFA World Cup 2026
Hugo Broos has already confirmed that he intends to step down after the World Cup, meaning he has a minimum of two more matches in charge of the national team.
Those fixtures are South Africa’s Group A matches against Czech Republic and South Korea.
Broos will move to 58 matches in charge against Czech Republic on Thursday, 18 June, before reaching 59 games against South Korea on Thursday, 25 June, surpassing the current record of 58 matches held by Shakes Mashaba.
Hugo Broos has enjoyed a remarkable spell with the national team since taking over in May 2021.
In his 57 matches at the helm to date, Broos has guided South Africa to 26 wins, 22 draws and just nine defeats, with Bafana Bafana scoring 81 goals and conceding 47.
That gives Broos a win-percentage of 45.6%.
His tenure is already the longest in Bafana Bafana history, eclipsing the previous record held by the late Clive Barker.
Given South Africa’s history of frequent coaching changes, few would have predicted that a coach would remain in the position for five years.
Hugo Broos’ current spell with Bafana Bafana is also the second-longest managerial stint of his coaching career, behind the six seasons he spent in charge of Belgian giants Club Brugge between 1991 and 1997.
Bafana Bafana opened their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against co-hosts Mexico, losing 2-0 in Mexico City on 11 June.
Should South Africa progress beyond the group stage, Hugo Broos would have the chance to extend his record even further and cap off his Bafana Bafana career with what would be an unforgettable achievement.
Bafana Bafana’s remaining Group A FIFA World Cup 2026 fixtures
- Thursday, 18 June: Czech Republic vs South Africa, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta – 18:00 (SA time)
- Thursday, 25 June: South Africa vs South Korea, Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe – 03:00 (SA time)
Most matches in charge of Bafana Bafana
| Coach | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA |
| Shakes Mashaba | 58 | 32 | 21 | 5 | 94 | 40 |
| Hugo Broos* | 57 | 26 | 22 | 9 | 81 | 47 |
| Stuart Baxter | 52 | 23 | 13 | 16 | 78 | 58 |
| Clive Barker | 43 | 22 | 9 | 12 | 57 | 38 |
| Carlos Alberto Parreira | 36 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 49 | 25 |
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