▲ South Africa head coach Hugo Broos
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos, who is set to face the South Korean national football team in the final group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, described South Korea as a disciplined and high-energy side, anticipating a difficult challenge ahead.
Speaking at a press conference following South Africa's second Group A match against the Czech Republic at the Atlanta Stadium in the U.S. today (June 19), Broos said, "South Korea is a team somewhere between Mexico and the Czech Republic," adding, "They are very well-disciplined. This is also a characteristic of Asian teams."
South Africa, led by Broos, drew 1-1 with the Czech Republic today, securing their first point of the tournament after a 0-2 loss to Mexico in the opening match on June 12.
Although they conceded an early goal to the Czech Republic, they kept their hopes of advancing to the knockout stage alive by scoring an equalizer from a penalty kick awarded due to a handball foul in the second half.
South Africa will now prepare for their third match against South Korea, which will be held in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 25.
Regarding the upcoming match against South Korea, Broos stated, "It will be another tough game, but it will be difficult in a different way," explaining, "While today was difficult due to the Czech Republic's physicality, against South Korea, we will have to face their organized discipline."
He added, "It will also be physically demanding, not necessarily because of 'power,' but because of their work rate. They start running as if they have batteries inserted and keep running for the full 90 minutes, so it won't be easy in that regard."
When asked to name any players who impressed him or whom he considered a threat, noting that "looking at the Czech match and others, South Korea has some good, key players," Broos declined to give a specific answer.
He said, "I do not talk about opposing players in press conferences. If I say a certain player is good, wouldn't the South Korean coach hear that? I apologize for not being able to answer, and I hope you understand."
Broos expressed general satisfaction with the South African team's performance on this day.
"Except for the moment right after the start of the first half when the players were not focused, we played a very good game. In the second half, we played continuously in the Czech half. The Czech Republic only relied on long balls to their tall players," he said, assessing that "we should have gotten a better result."
Broos further emphasized, "If we can show this kind of performance again, I believe we have a chance to advance to the next round."
(Photo: Getty Images Korea)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.