South Korea’s Players Run 90 Minutes in 2026 World Cup, Coach Broos Warns Bafana Players

South Africa national team head coach Hugo Broos has warned his Bafana Bafana players that they must be prepared to face a South Korean side that will run for the full 90 minutes.

After a 2‑0 defeat to co‑hosts Mexico in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A opener, Bafana Bafana produced an impressive performance by holding the Czech Republic to a 1‑1 draw.

The Koreans began their campaign with a 2‑1 win over the Czechs before falling 1‑0 to the hosts.

Bafana must win the match against South Korea to secure a first‑ever appearance in the World Cup knockout stage.

Speaking to the media about the upcoming encounter, the Belgian coach said he expects a very different style of play.

“Yes, South Korea is a little bit in between Mexico and Czechia: it’s a very disciplined team,” Broos said. “This is a characteristic of the Eastern teams; they are always disciplined, you saw that in their game against Czechia. They also have good players, a few key players in the team.”

He added, “So again, it will be a tough game, but in another way. Today it was a tough game because of the physicality of Czechia; against South Korea, it will be more about the discipline in the group. Also, the physical in the sense that they run.”

“I’m very sorry to say this, but they are like Duracells: you plug them in, and they start running, and they run for 90 minutes, so it will not be easy.”

Meanwhile, Bafana will be without key midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who received his second yellow card in the team’s second group fixture against the Czech Republic. Also missing for the crucial clash is Themba Zwane, who was shown a straight red card in the defeat to Mexico.

By James Agberebi