Coach Hugo Broos confident South Africa can surprise at World Cup

South Africa can create a few surprises at this year's World Cup as they will go into the tournament as an unknown factor, coach Hugo Broos said on Monday.

South Africa return to the World Cup for the first time since the country hosted the finals in 2010 and play in the opening game on June 11 against co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca Stadium.

They also take on South Korea in Group A and the winners of Tuesday’s playoff between the Czech Republic and Denmark.

“When we are at our best level, with the quality in this team, then we can make some surprises in the World Cup,” the veteran Belgian coach said ahead of a World Cup warm-up friendly against Panama on Tuesday.

“We are also a team that not too many people know, so that could be good for us,” he added.

Broos said even though the team had qualified for the tournament after a long absence, their ambitions were to make an impact and go as far as they could.

“For me, it's not enough to be there, and I should be very, very disappointed if the performances are not what I think they can be,” said the former Belgium international.

“I don't really have to push the players because they also want to show themselves at the World Cup. I know their mentality, I know the hunger they have, to do something at the World Cup.”

South Africa previously qualified for the 1998 and 2002 finals and were hosts in 2010 but have returned disappointing results since.

But they finished ahead of Nigeria in their qualifying group to win one of the nine African places at the finals in Canada, Mexico, and U.S.

“I think what South Africa needs is interest from abroad, but you only get that interest when you participate in big tournaments," Broos said.

“After we finished third at the (2023) Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, suddenly there was interest in players of the national team, and that is most important so that they can move abroad."

South Africa’s squad is made up mainly of locally based players, in contrast to other African sides competing at the World Cup, most of whom have squads of players based at foreign clubs, mainly in Europe.

(Editing by Toby Davis)