Broos: We lost because of a lack of power and speed

The head coach of the South African national team, Hugo Broos, commented on the 1/16 finals of the 2026 World Cup and explained what was the decisive factor in his team's failure. The coach noted that despite the elimination from the tournament, he is proud of his wards and believes that they held a high-quality World Cup. "I'm still as proud of the team as I was two or three days ago. I think we had a good World Cup, but today, when we play against a team like this - with power and speed - we find ourselves playing catch-up. That's what we need to learn. And that's why it was so important for this team to be here." According to Broos, the South African national team still has significant potential for development, but is currently inferior to the leading opponents in the physical components of the game. "I'm sure that in the next few months this team will be stronger than before, because today we played against an opponent who is a little further along in their development than us. We played a pretty good match. But we could have done more." The specialist emphasized that the key reason for the defeat was the difference in speed and power struggle. "I think we have to be honest, today we lost the match because of a lack of power and speed in our team. If you compare us to the opponent, we lost a lot of tackles, and our team speed ... not only running, but also decision-making speed ... was not up to par. When you see how fast Canada plays and how they build their attacks, you realize that at times we needed too much time to make decisions." Also, the Belgian coach once again drew attention to the level of the domestic championship of South Africa, which, in his opinion, does not provide football players with the necessary preparation for matches of this level. "I've said it many times in South Africa that the local championship doesn't give enough experience, but no one believed me. Modern football is more than just technique. Modern football is power and speed. If you don't have that in the team, and you play against an opponent who has it, it becomes difficult." Despite the disappointment of the result, Broos positively assessed his team's performance in the tournament and did not confirm whether he would continue working with the national team. "Looking back, I think we can be very pleased with what we have done. The last time South Africa qualified for the World Cup on their own was 24 years ago. Everyone hoped, but few expected, that we would be able to reach the second round." "Is this my last match? We will make a decision in the coming days. But it was a great World Cup. The decision will not be easy. Now I can't say whether I will go or stay," the coach said. For your attention and the best moments of the match of the World Cup-2026 South Africa - Canada.