South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has admitted that Nigeria played a part in helping Bafana Bafana reach the next stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Footynaija.com reports.
Broos, who led South Africa through a tough qualifying campaign, reflected on how the Super Eagles’ results against their group opponents, especially Benin Republic, affected the final outcome.
The Belgian coach explained that his team had to rely not only on their own performance but also on what happened elsewhere in the group.
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Speaking on Prime Sports with Mahlatse on YouTube, Broos said Nigeria’s 4-0 victory over Benin gave his side a bit of relief as they battled Rwanda on the final day of the qualifiers.
“I said a year ago or maybe more that Nigeria should help us and they helped us a little bit by doing what they had to do,” Broos stated.
“But I was a little bit afraid because they were not really convincing during the qualifiers. They were convincing against Benin, but they started with three draws and a defeat. That was not Nigeria. I was a little bit afraid that Benin should not win. That was my fear, not that we shouldn’t win. Even with a victory against Rwanda, we were not sure to be qualified.”
The 73-year-old tactician also shared details of the pressure his players faced, revealing that they went into the final game unsure of the exact scenario required for qualification.
“They did not know it before the game. We looked at all the scenarios and in certain cases we had to win with two goals difference,” Broos continued.
“I said to the players before the game, ‘Don’t look too much, try to score two goals’. After five minutes we scored the first goal, and I knew we could score the second. At half-time the score in Nigeria was 2-0, and I said, ‘Okay, things done now’.”
