Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has tied Shakes Mashaba as the coach to have been in charge of the most matches of the South African national team.
The 74-year-old Belgian mentor will become the ‘most-capped coach’ in the country’s history when Bafana Bafana wrap up their group-stage commitments at FIFA World Cup 2026 next Thursday.
Stepping down
Hugo Broos has already confirmed that he intends to step down after the World Cup, meaning he has a minimum of one more match in charge of the national team.
That fixture is South Africa’s Group A match against South Korea.
Broos will move to 59 matches in charge against South Korea on Thursday, 25 June, surpassing the 58 match mark that Shakes Mashaba was in charge.
Hugo Broos has enjoyed a remarkable spell with the national team since taking over in May 2021.
In his 58 matches at the helm to date, Broos has guided South Africa to 26 wins, 23 draws and just nine defeats, with Bafana Bafana scoring 82 goals and conceding 48.
That gives Broos a win-percentage of 44.8%.
Mashaba does, however, boast a far superior record in terms of matches won, defeats and win percentage (55.1%).
Longest period in charge
Hugo Broos’ 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 and followed that up with a 1-1 draw against Czech Republic on 18 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 fixture
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* | 58 | 26 | 23 | 9 | 82 | 48 |
| 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 |
Who has been Bafana Bafana’s greatest ever coach?
Let us know by clicking on the comment banner below …
