Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has made a candid admission after his side was held to a frustrating goalless draw by Zimbabwe in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Group C clash on Friday.

The result saw South Africa drop crucial points and lose ground to Benin, who moved two points clear at the top following a 1-0 win over Rwanda. For Zimbabwe, it was their fifth draw of the campaign, though they remain winless in the qualifiers.

Speaking to SuperSport TV after the match, Broos conceded that qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was no longer entirely in their hands ahead of their final Group C fixture against Rwanda on Tuesday.

“It didn’t happen today,” the Belgian coach admitted. “We’ll have to be ready for Rwanda next Tuesday, but now it’s no longer in our hands. Let’s hope everything goes well so we can still win it.”

Reflecting on his team’s performance, Broos added: “We had many chances, and we missed the luck to convert them. In the second half, we had opportunities cleared off the line and even hit the post — maybe luck wasn’t on our side.

“Zimbabwe even played with a red card, and from that moment the whole team sat deep, staying 20–30 metres from the goal and tried to be dangerous in transition. That was difficult for us.”