South Africa manager Hugo Broos set to bow out after team's World Cup elimination

South Africa’s manager Hugo Broos said months ago he would retire from football after his team was eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But he was probably hoping it wouldn’t come quite so soon.

When Canada ended South Africa’s dreams on Sunday, it also brought an end to Broos’ career.

But not before getting his team to the World Cup knockout stages for the first time.

After losing 2-0 to Mexico in this year’s opening match, Broos led the team to a 1-1 draw against Czech Republic and a 1-0 win over South Korea.

South Africa hadn’t even appeared at the World Cup since hosting the tournament in 2010 and had only participated twice before.

After taking the reins in 2021, the 74-year-old Belgian brought the team to a third-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Before joining South Africa, he coached Cameroon to an Africa Cup win in 1997.

As a coach in Belgium, he won three league titles. As a player, he earned 24 caps for his country, as well as the Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Cup twice with RSC Anderlecht.