FIRST TAKE | Broos’ loyalty exposes Bafana Bafana in Mexican loss of their own doing

Mexico’s 2-0 victory in the 2026 FIFA World Cup opener was a gift of Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos’ loyalty rather than what the hosts did on the Azteca Stadium pitch on Thursday, writes Njabulo Ngidi.

At the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City

Hugo Broos’ best quality as Bafana Bafana’s longest serving coach is also his worst attribute when not managed well.

The 2-0 loss to Mexico in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday exposed the faults of the attribute that helped the Belgian restore Bafana’s dignity.

Broos is loyal to a fault. That loyalty helped build a team that wasn’t reliant on the brightest stars but the most honest hard workers.

As the son of a policeman who was raised in a Catholic school, the 74-year-old strongly believes in a good work ethic and discipline. His approach offered a solid foundation to a team that used to be divided by cliques and which jersey colour one wore in domestic football.

MATCH RECAP | Bafana’s World Cup dream turns into instant nightmare after woeful Mexico loss

It divided opinions but left players knowing where they stood. The result is that players play for Broos, even when they are not the best in their position in the country – they work hard enough to win over the Belgian’s sensibilities that prioritises work ethic over everything.

At its best, this approach united Bafana and pushed them to a third-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). However, that was the easy part. At the time, Bafana were lower than a snake’s stomach – struggling to even qualify for an Afcon that needed two out of the four teams in a group.

When the team moved closer to the top, Broos didn’t add layers to his approach. It resulted in Bafana being exposed tactically for their