Bafana Bafana's performance at Afcon took most people by surprise and head coach Hugo Broos has revealed what motivated the players.
There was a sense of pride in the country after Bafana grew in the tournament, as they had an emphatic response to losing the opening game against Mali and got back on track with a thrashing of Namibia and qualified for the knockout stages after a goalless draw against Tunisia.
South Africa showed determination and team spirit that has not been seen in the national team in a while after they confidently beat number one-ranked nation Morocco in the round of 16.
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Bafana's fighting spirit went up a notch after they battled with resilient Cape Verde in the quarter-finals and won on penalties thanks to heroics by goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
Broos' men lost to Nigeria on penalties in the semi-finals but they actually had a good game and had big chances and continued to make history after winning the bronze medal for the first time since 2000.
The Belgian has revealed that he used the criticism and pessimism in the country towards Bafana as a motivation to the players to prove the doubters wrong.
"You know one against everyone, that's the situation. I think if you're a coach with some experience you use that," Broos said on SuperSport's Soccer Africa.
"So if everybody says, when we go to Afcon, 'What are they going to do there? What a team', blah, blah, blah, okay.
"Then you talk to the players and say, 'Guys and now…Ah, it's a fantastic motivation for every team, if everybody says you're not a good team, so you're motivated to show it. Yes, I used that (to motivate the players) why shouldn't I use it? They were against me, were against the team, they were against everybody, that's the moment to say, 'Okay guys we'll see'," he added.
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Bafana's third-place finish at the AFCON has raised expectations ahead of the resumption of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June, where they will firstly travel to Nigeria.
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