Hugo Broos has confirmed his decision to leave his post as head coach of Bafana Bafana after the 2026 World Cup.
The Belgian mentor is South Africa’s longest serving coach, having recently surpassed the legendary late Clive Barker, who led his team to a historic victory in the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations.
Broos was appointed in May 2021 and was unlucky to see his side fail to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in controversial circumstances, before a third-placed finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Bafana have already secured qualification for the 2025 AFCON and are currently on course to take their place at the World Cup finals in the USA, Mexico and Canada next year, currently in first place in Group A after six games.
Broos said on FARPost that not only will he leave Bafana, but that he expects this to be his last post.
“The decision is made,” he explained. “After the World Cup, I will stop. My contract will be finished, but I will stop as a coach.
“I have been coaching for nearly 40 years, and I am 73. There has to be one moment where you have to stop. I will not die on the bench.
“So next year, after the World Cup, it’s finished. I have been in football since I was 19, first as a professional player and then as a coach. I think when I stop next year, I can be at home with my wife and drink coffee.
“Football will always be there. But you never know. Maybe I can be an advisor for South Africa or another team or whatever. But I don’t want to work every day anymore. That’s for sure.
“So it looks attractive to me [advisor role] certainly. But we will see next year. It’s still one year. First of all, I will focus on September and October, then on December, the AFCON. That’s the only thing I want now, and then we will see afterwards.”
Broos began his coaching career in 1988 with Belgian side RWD Molenbeek. His former teams include Club Brugge, Excelsior Mouscron, RSC Anderlecht, KRC Genk, Panserraikos, Trabzonspor, Zulte Waregem, JS Kabylie, NA Hussein Dey, Cameroon and KV Oostende.