South Africa national football team head coach Hugo Broos has shed light on why a potential glamour friendly against Brazil national football team failed to materialise, pointing to steep financial demands and broader planning considerations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
South Africa have been drawn in Group A alongside hosts Mexico, South Korea and a yet-to-be-confirmed UEFA play-off winner — a line-up Broos says requires carefully selected preparation matches.
“The best scenario would be to play an Asian team, a Middle American team and a European team,” Broos told the media.
The coach revealed that the South African Football Association had been approached by Brazil, but the proposed fixture proved financially unfeasible.
“Lydia Monyepao-Yele, the CEO, told me Brazil wants to play us… they asked five million dollars to come,” he said.
Broos added that Argentina national football team had also shown interest in playing in Johannesburg for a similar fee in euros, further highlighting the high cost of hosting elite international sides.
“You understand. So it is easy to say, why not that and that?” he said.
Instead, SAFA opted to arrange fixtures against more affordable opposition, including Panama national football team, although Broos stressed that even these matches come at a cost.
“Panama is not coming free either. You have to pay a sum of money to come and play two games,” he added.
Despite missing out on marquee opponents, Broos maintains that the focus remains on securing the right competitive balance as Bafana Bafana fine-tune preparations for their World Cup campaign.
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