Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos was left laughing when he was reminded that he would resign if his team failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco next year.

When announcing his squad last week, Broos stated that he would resign and return to Belgium if they failed to qualify.

At Thursday’s press conference, Broos was amused to learn that Bafana Bafana had already qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) without playing a single match.

Bafana Bafana arrived in Kampala, Uganda, on Thursday for their AFCON qualifier against the hosts. While preparing for training, the team received news of a significant development in Group K: South Sudan had defeated Congo Brazzaville 3-2, securing qualification for both Bafana Bafana and Uganda.

This unexpected result allowed Broos’s team to approach their match against Uganda with renewed confidence, having already secured back-to-back AFCON qualifications.

Despite the early qualification, Broos emphasized the importance of maintaining focus and intensity in the upcoming matches against Uganda and South Sudan.

“How do I answer that now?” Broos laughed at the press conference. “When the Congo match was 2-2 at halftime, I didn’t see the rest of the game before my assistant coach, Helman Mkhalele, informed me of our qualification. It was a bit of a surprise, but it highlights the difficulty of winning away games in Africa. Both Uganda and we won our away matches against South Sudan, which made a significant difference. Every match in Africa is full of surprises, as it’s tough to win away games. We’re very happy to have qualified, and I was thrilled to receive the news about Congo’s defeat.”

Broos has become the first Bafana Bafana coach to qualify the national team for consecutive AFCON finals. This is also the first time Bafana Bafana has qualified for back-to-back AFCON finals since 2013 and 2015, though they were awarded the hosting rights in 2013 due to Libya’s withdrawal.

Following the Uganda match, Bafana Bafana will conclude Group K with a home match against South Sudan at DHL Stadium on Tuesday, the team they defeated 3-2 away in October, a crucial result that contributed to their early qualification.