“He Deserves A Statue!” — Williams Drops Ultimate Praise On Broos’ Miracle

Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams has hailed coach Hugo Broos, saying the Belgian tactician “deserves a statue” after guiding South Africa to the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday.

Broos, who has faced criticism in the past over his squad selections and tactical approach, has silenced many doubters by leading Bafana Bafana to the World Cup knockout stages for the first time in the nation’s history.

South Africa secured their place in the next round with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over South Korea. The result lifted Bafana from the bottom of Group A to second place, qualifying alongside group winners Mexico.

Bafana Bafana will now begin their knockout-stage campaign against co-hosts Canada on Sunday.

Following the historic achievement, Williams reserved special praise for Broos, crediting the coach for maintaining faith in the squad even when many others had lost belief.

“He deserves a statue,” Williams told the BBC.

“He deserves the highest recognition one can give for the belief he has shown in this team since day one. Sometimes even we don’t have the belief. We don’t always believe we can go out and win games and achieve great things, but he always tells us that we can do it.

“Every day, when our backs are against the wall, when people are criticising us and don’t believe in us, he is always there for us.

“As much as this achievement is for the 61 or 62 million South Africans back home, it is also for Coach Hugo because of what he has done for this team.”

Bafana Bafana, who are based in Pachuca, Mexico, will travel to the United States on Friday to take on Canada. The two nations last met in a friendly international in 2007, a match won 2-0 by South Africa.