South Africa Names Mosimane as New Coach; Replaces Broos After World Cup Run

PITSO MOSIMANE TAKES OVER SOUTH AFRICA COACHING POST AFTER BROOS DEPARTURE

Pitso Mosimane will return to the South Africa national team dugout after a 12-year absence, the South African Football Association confirmed on Tuesday, replacing Belgian Hugo Broos following the country’s historic World Cup campaign. Mosimane, 62, steps back into the role carrying one of the most decorated coaching records in African football.

His first tenure ended sharply. In 2012, the team drew 1-1 at home against Ethiopia in a World Cup qualifier, and an association official travelled 130 kilometres from Johannesburg the same day to deliver the news of his dismissal. Mosimane did not retreat. He moved to Pretoria club Mamelodi Sundowns and rebuilt his standing from the ground up.

The work at Sundowns proved transformative. He guided the club to the 2016 CAF Champions League title, a result that elevated both his profile and the club’s standing across the continent, and opened the door to opportunities well beyond South Africa’s borders.

In 2020, Mosimane became the first sub-Saharan African coach to lead Al Ahly, the famed Egyptian club. He won back-to-back CAF Champions League titles with the Egyptian side, cementing his reputation as a coach capable of winning at the highest levels of African club competition. Stints in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and, most recently, Iran with Esteghlal followed before his return home.

Meanwhile, the national team he inherits is at a genuine crossroads. Broos, 74, had guided South Africa through an extraordinary 2026 World Cup campaign, taking the squad to the tournament’s second round for the first time in the country’s history. The team finished runners-up in Group A behind co-hosts Mexico after defeating South Korea 1-0, then fell to Canada 1-0 in the last-32 match. After five years in charge, Broos stepped down, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. More details on the transition are available at https://www.algoafm.co.za/sport/mosimane-succeeds-broos-as-south-africa-coach.

Mosimane now takes charge of a squad that has shown it can compete on the world stage. His immediate operational priority is qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. South Africa has been drawn into Group D alongside Kenya, Guinea and Eritrea. Kenya, as a joint host, will qualify automatically but will participate in the qualifying matches to build competitive experience ahead of the tournament.

Sustaining momentum after a World Cup run is rarely straightforward. Squads shift, confidence can erode, and the administrative demands of a national setup differ sharply from club management. Mosimane’s record across multiple continents, managing high-pressure environments at elite level, suggests he has the credentials to handle the transition. Whether he can translate that club-level success into consistent national team delivery is the question his appointment leaves open.