South African Football Association (SAFA) President Dr Danny Jordaan has praised Bafana Bafana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign after the national team bowed out following a historic run to the knockout stages.
Bafana Bafana’s journey came to an end on Sunday after a 1 - 0 defeat to tournament co-hosts Canada in a Last 32 match at Los Angeles Stadium.
Jordaan said that while the defeat was disappointing, the team could return home with pride after making history at the tournament.
“It is sad that 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 - 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 on Monday.
Stephen Eustáquio broke South African hearts when he scored in the 92nd minute to send Canada through to the Last 16 of the global tournament.
Canada will now face either Morocco or the Netherlands in the next round.
“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,” Coach Hugo Broos said. - SAnews.gov.za
