Bafana Coach Hugo Broos Reflects on AFCON 2025 Round of 16 Qualification: 'I'm Not Really Happy'

South Africa coach Hugo Broos expressed relief after his team secured a place in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 with a tense 3-2 victory over Zimbabwe on Monday.

However, he warned that their knockout campaign would be short-lived if they continued to play such an open, defensively frail style of football.

Bafana Bafana took the lead three times against The Warriors in a match where their opponents missed several clear chances and struck the post. Hugo Broos acknowledged the element of fortune in the Marrakech encounter.

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“I have to agree that I'm not really happy with the performance or the way some players are acting on the pitch. That is true. Again, this is something we have to work on, and it's from the beginning of the tournament,” Hugo Broos said after the match.

“We have to know that the progress we made in the last two years is not a guarantee that you come on the pitch and you will win the game. And I said it already before the tournament, it will be tougher for us than the tournament two years ago.”

Hugo Broos further explained that Bafana Bafana’s strong performances at AFCON have changed how rivals approach matches against them, meaning opponents now prepare with greater intent and belief that they can cause an upset.

He noted that this shift demands a higher level of discipline, sharpness and consistency from his players, stressing that past displays count for nothing once the game begins.

The coach emphasised that success in the tournament will depend on sustained intensity, full commitment and mental strength throughout every match, warning that any lapse in focus or drop in effort could quickly be punished.

Hugo Broos added that progress in the competition requires constant pressure, alert decision-making and a refusal to relax at any stage, making it clear that only a relentless approach will allow South Africa to advance deep into the tournament.

“So you have to fight more. You have to be more concentrated, more focused, and not doing or not thinking of, ok, it will be easy today like we thought, maybe after 20 minutes, because it was easy. No, go on then. Don't put your foot on the... No, go, push, go on pushing,” he added.

“And this is something also we have to know now that if we want to go far in this tournament, this is the mentality we have to... This is the mentality we need to go far. And if we don't, it will be finished very quickly.”

Bafana Bafana will discover their Round of 16 opponent on Wednesday, with the runners-up of Group F, potentially defending champions Ivory Coast or Cameroon, awaiting them in Rabat on Sunday.