Sport Desk Reporter
Bafana Bafana arrived back in South Africa to a heroes’ welcome this morning after becoming the first national men’s team to reach the knockout stages of a FIFA World Cup.
Excited supporters gathered at OR Tambo International Airport to welcome the squad home following a memorable campaign that captured the imagination of the country.
South Africa’s World Cup run ended on Sunday with a narrow 1 to 0 defeat to tournament co-hosts Canada in the Last 32. Stephen Eustáquio scored the decisive goal in stoppage time to send the hosts into the next round.
Speaking after the team’s arrival, captain Ronwen Williams said the reception showed how much the team’s achievements meant to South Africans.
“Thank you, everyone, for your support and for this incredible welcome. To experience the unity of the country at a moment like this is amazing,” he said.
“The prayers, the support and all the well wishes that were sent our way meant so much to us as a team. We went out there carrying the support, love and belief of [millions of] South Africans,” said Williams.
He said the tournament represented another important milestone in the team’s progress under coach Hugo Broos.
“It’s been a wonderful journey. When we look back at how far we’ve come as a team, especially under Coach Hugo Broos, we can be proud. This achievement at the World Cup is the cherry on top because we’ve been doing excellent work for a long time. We’re just proud and happy that the country is happy,” he said.
Broos said the squad had achieved the target it set before travelling to the tournament.
“It was not easy, but we made it. It is historic for South African football that the team reached the second round of the World Cup, and that was our goal from the beginning. We worked hard. It was not easy, but we succeeded. That’s the most important thing,” he said.
The coach believes the experience gained on football’s biggest stage will help the team continue its upward trajectory.
“That has to be our next objective. And, of course, we want to qualify again for the 2030 World Cup. I think if South Africa can achieve that over the next three or four years, you will immediately see how far South African football has progressed.
“When you’re competing at that level, you learn a lot, and you learn quickly. I think that’s exactly what happened to us at this World Cup,” he said.
Reflecting on Sunday’s defeat, Broos admitted the result was painful but said it should not overshadow what the players had accomplished.
“We are disappointed because we wanted to win. It would have been a little miracle to get to the third round, but we do not have to be too disappointed. What we achieved here was good, and I am very happy and very proud of my team,” he said.
SAFA president Dr Danny Jordaan also commended the players for delivering the country’s best-ever World Cup performance.
“Sadly, we are bowing out of the World Cup, but we have to applaud this team after what they did in this tournament.
“They made history on [last] Wednesday when we qualified for the second round for the first time after beating South Korea 1 to 0 in the last group match in Monterrey. We will take this with us when we go back home and build on it,” he said.
Although their World Cup journey has come to an end, Bafana Bafana return home having rewritten South African football history and laid a strong foundation for future success, with the Africa Cup of Nations and qualification for the 2030 FIFA World Cup now firmly in their sights.