Augusto Palacios gives important advice to Bafana Bafana regarding the World Cup qualifiers! | OneFootball

Augusto Palacios gives important advice to Bafana Bafana regarding the World Cup qualifiers!

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup dream hanging in the balance, a voice of experience has cut through the cacophony of calculations and permutations. Augusto Palacios, the former national team coach, has delivered a simple, potent message to the current Bafana Bafana squad: your destiny is in your own hands, not in the results of others.

As the South African team prepares for its final two qualifiers—a home fixture against Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, followed by a crucial clash with Rwanda in Mbombela—Palacios urges a mindset of pure focus. He believes the team must tune out the distracting noise surrounding the concurrent battles of Benin and Nigeria in Group C and channel all their energy into the one thing they can control: winning.

Despite the recent shadow of a FIFA sanction, the path to qualification remains clear. The equation is straightforward, yet demanding: secure two victories and let the rest of the table worry about itself. Palacios’s faith in the team is unwavering, rooted in a belief in their quality and the leadership of coach Hugo Broos.

“We have a good record, and we have good players. All we need to do is follow what [Hugo] Broos said. Get on the field and win the games. That is all, that is all. We should not think about Benin and Nigeria. We just have to focus on winning our games. Do we have the capacity? Yes. Do we have the quality players? Yes.”

He reserves particular praise for Broos, highlighting a fundamental principle that has strengthened the squad: meritocracy.

“One thing that is important with this coach is that he selects according to performance. We should not doubt performance.”

But beyond tactics and focus, Palacios, drawing from the storied history of the global tournament, reminds the players of the immortal prize that awaits. He paints a picture of the World Cup not just as a competition, but as the ultimate emotional and professional pinnacle for any footballer.

“In football, there are three aspirations: winning your league at club level, playing in Europe, and the biggest of all, representing your country at the World Cup. The World Cup is the highest level. The whole world watches you. It is very emotional to be there.”

It is a reminder that while the next two games are a tactical challenge, they are also a gateway to legend.