- South Africa head coach Hugo Broos was left with a few grumbles as he criticised the quality of World Cup Stadiums.
- This came despite his side snatching a crucial point in a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic in the FIFA World Cup group stage.
- Broos argued that only the grass resembled a proper football venue, insisting that such stadiums are far from ideal for the beautiful game.
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos was left with some grumbles as he criticized the quality of the Atlanta Stadium, despite his side snatching a hard fought 1-1 draw on against the Czech Republic to keep their 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage hopes alive.
Bafana Bafana produced a spirited second-half performance under the closed roof of the state-of-the-art home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS side Atlanta United.
Their exit appeared imminent when the Czech Republic took an early lead through Michal Sadilek in the sixth minute.
However, South Africa’s determination in search of an equaliser eventually paid off when Teboho Mokoena converted an 83rd-minute penalty after Pavel Sulc handled the ball inside his own box.
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The result served as a statement to keep their Round of 32 dreams alive, especially after they kicked off the tournament on a sour note, having lost 2-0 to co-hosts Mexico in the Estadio Azteca last week in Group A’s opener.
Despite the impressive point on Thursday, Broos was left voicing that only the grass resembled a proper football pitch, suggesting that while these venues are great for fan experience, they are far from ideal for the beautiful game.
“If I can be very honest, this is not a football stadium. It’s a nice stadium, fantastic stadium, everything you want. But only the grass is football. All the rest is not,” Broos, 74, told his post match press conference.
“It’s a covered stadium. I like to play in an open one. I don’t really feel the atmosphere in such a venue. When you compare it with Azteca, for example, that is a football stadium!
“These stadiums are fantastic for the crowd. I think they see everything in there. There are no blind spots or whatever. But, again, I much prefer a genuine football stadium.”
The Belgian tactician was also left frustrated by lengthy drinks breaks at the midway point of each half, despite the climate controlled conditions.
“I think it’s very, very useful when it’s hot,” he added. “But in other cases, the rhythm of the game is lost.
“When at that moment you are the better team and you dominate, suddenly your dominance is halted for five minutes or I don’t know how long… in that stadium, we don’t need to drink after 20 minutes.”
Now in their fourth World Cup, South Africa have never previously advanced beyond the group phase.
Victory in their final Group A clash against South Korea will likely secure passage to the last 32, at least as one of the best third placed sides, if they can claim just a second World Cup win on foreign soil.
“I’m very proud of my team. This is Bafana Bafana – we love good football, we are aggressive, we create chances.
Yes, we made mistakes, but I’m very proud of the performance today. Czechia are powerful and very tall.
We did very well. It is a bit of a pity that it is only 1-1, but we just have to win the game against Korea Republic, which will be very difficult too. If we play with the same mentality, it will be possible.” Hugo Broos added.
Read more about other World Cup teams in 2026 below:
France national football team 2026
Morocco national football team 2026
Argentina national football team 2026
Mexico national football team 2026
Spain national football team 2026
Brazil national football team 2026