Doomsday predicted for Bafana Bafana in 2026 FIFA World Cup! 'We are not going to come out of the group stage' and lucky Hugo Broos should 'be sacked' after AFCON exit

Hugo Broos was already under massive scrutiny even before the Africa Cup of Nations finals started.

His decision to snub experienced Thembinkosi Lorch is the first subject that put him under immense criticism. Before the dust settled on that topic, Broos' comments on Mbekezeli Mbokazi's transfer from Orlando Pirates to Chicago Fire almost threatened team unity. 

With a poor show in Morocco, the experienced tactician has found himself under more pressure. With the World Cup just months ahead, many are debating whether to keep Broos as the head coach or not. 

Based on Bafana's AFCON performance, former Kaizer Chiefs forward Junior Khanye has said South Africa will find it hard in the global showpiece.

"We are preparing for the World Cup; we just have to make peace because the coach said he will step down after the tournament," Khanye said on the Smash Sports podcast.  

"We are going to America, but let me tell you, I will be honest, we are not going to come out of the group stage; you can write this down, we must be realistic. 

He has also stated that Broos should have been shown the exit door after AFCON elimination. 

"The World Cup is very dangerous; those guys are skillful. They are not Africans; they are dangerous," he added.

"We failed at AFCON. What do you think we can do at the World Cup if we failed to reach the last eight at the AFCON? We are talking about teams that are well structured there."

"But I will be honest, Hugo Broos is lucky. We failed; he has failed at the AFCON. He was supposed to be sacked after this," he continued. 

"I know he qualified us for the World Cup and the AFCON, but football is not an event; it is a project. You invest. After the World Cup, we need to clean all this."

Against Cameroon, Bafana were deployed in a 3-4-3 formation, which looked like a perfect strategy in the opening minutes. But the Indomitable Lions cracked the code and turned the tide against Bafana and eliminated them. 

Former Moroka Swallows head coach Brandon Truter is one of those who has questioned Broos' tactics.

"As a coach, I'm also a bit baffled as to why he changed the formation. I don't know [what the reasons were] because right through the group stages, we never played this formation," Truter told Soccer Laduma.

"So you have less than a week between the last group game and the knockout game, which is the biggest game, and you change formations. How much focus could have been given to that? I'm not sure if they trained it before. 

"And on top of it, in a game that matters, you make four changes to your line-up. Four changes in a knockout game, a game that matters? Would you not have gone with a tried and tested one?" Truter questioned.

Before and during the AFCON outing, many questioned whether there was a capable player who could explicitly execute roles associated with the number 10. Broos depended on Sipho Mbule, but the Pirates star was not highly impressive. 

Some suggested that Relebohile Mofokeng should have been trusted, but the youngster performed peripheral roles.

Mamelodi Sundowns captain Themba Zwane is regarded as the finest number 10 player, but injuries that limited his playtime denied him a chance to play in AFCON.

But will Broos consider him for the World Cup? Former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Brian Baloyi has stated that Bafana's system needs the multiple Premier Soccer League winner.

"The system that we are playing now, you can afford to play it when you have a Zwane, when you have a number 10, but in the absence of such a brilliant player, a brilliant mind, then you need two players like 'Master Chef', instead of having two or three defensive midfielders," Baloyi said.

"You know that the players are trying to give you that creativity and the goals you lack, so you need two of those or even three on the pitch. I think that's where we need to fix things if we are not to take him to the World Cup again.

"I think there's still an opportunity for the coach to relook at his team and possibly take Themba to the World Cup. If you look at all other nations, we have 42-year-olds playing; you can't tell us Themba is too old," he added.

Broos has promised to evaluate the team, but he will only have the March international break to test his players and see whether they will be ready for the World Cup.