INGLEWOOD, California, June 28 (Reuters) - South Africa coach Hugo Broos said his side's 1-0 loss to Canada would be his final act at a World Cup, potentially bringing down the curtain on a career spanning more than five decades as both a player and manager.
The defeat in Los Angeles, settled by a 92nd-minute strike from Canada's Stephen Eustaquio, ended a run that had already delivered a landmark achievement for Broos and his side, reaching the knockout stage for the first time in South Africa’s history.
The 74-year-old Belgian, who played at the 1986 World Cup, said afterwards the tournament would be his last, but stopped short of confirming whether he would retire as South Africa coach, having long spoken of the pull of family life back in Belgium.
"It's not clever to take decisions when you are disappointed," he told reporters.
"I will see in the next days what I will do for the future. For sure, this is my last World Cup."
Before the Canada game, Broos had framed the campaign as a success for a young South Africa side with room to grow.
Since taking charge in 2021, he has rebuilt the team from one absent from the World Cup since 2010 into a disciplined, competitive unit, guiding them back to the global stage and into the last 32. His approach has centred on a largely domestic-based squad.
South Africa's campaign recovered after a difficult start. A chaotic 2-0 opening defeat by Mexico, in which two South African players were sent off, was followed by a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic and a 1-0 win over South Korea.
It marked the first time the country had progressed beyond the group phase at a World Cup, having previously fallen short in 1998, 2002 and as hosts in 2010.
Against Canada, his side were largely on the back foot and again relied on defensive resilience, with goalkeeper Ronwen Williams producing a series of saves to keep the contest level until Eustaquio's late winner.
Born in Humbeek in April 1952, Broos made his name as a central defender at Anderlecht, winning several domestic and European trophies, before finishing his playing career at Club Brugge. He also earned 24 caps for Belgium.
He went on to build a long coaching career, winning league titles and cups with teams including Club Brugge and Anderlecht, as well as four Belgian Coach of the Year awards, and claiming the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon in 2017.
(Reporting by Joe Brock; additional reporting by Hatem MaherEditing by Christian Radnedge)
