He touched on a range of subjects, hinting he may stay on in the role post the 2026 World Cup having previously said he would definitely be quitting.
South Africa are in Group A at the finals with co-hosts Mexico, who they play in the tournament opener on June 11, South Korea and an as yet undetermined European qualifier.
What are your opening thoughts at the start of this camp and why have you chosen Panama as opponents?
Hugo Broos: It is very exciting to see the boys back. I already said when we announced the squad, that the AFCON was disappointing for all of us. I think everyone is motivated again to do what we have done over the last three years, and that is to produce good performances and good results.
I know that when Panama was announced, some people asked, “Panama? Panama?” But Panama are ranked around 30 places higher than us, so that already says something.
Secondly, they are a Central American team and they have a style of play similar to Mexico, who are our first opponents at the World Cup. So I think it was the right choice to play Panama twice here in South Africa. These games can teach us a lot about the Central American style of football.
The result is not the most important thing, even though of course it still matters. I do not want to lose twice or suffer big defeats, but the key thing is that we learn. At the same time, I want to see the Bafana Bafana I have seen over the last three years. That was something we lost during AFCON and we have to bring that back. That is also why there are only a few changes in the squad.
How will you approach the two games in terms of selection and playing time?
I will try to give everybody some minutes. There will be players who play two full 90 minutes and there will be others who maybe only play 20 minutes across the two matches. I do not know yet exactly how that will look. That is something I still have to discuss and plan.
But the idea is that everybody should get some playing time. At the same time, we are not going to make changes just for the sake of changing. I want to see good performances and I want to put a team on the pitch that can perform against this opponent. So it is not because I say the result is not the most important thing that the result does not matter at all.
Is this camp more important than an ordinary friendly camp?
Yes, definitely. This is not just a camp with two friendly games. It is more than that. It is preparation for our first opponent at the World Cup.
This is something new for us. Over the last three or four years, we have mostly played against African teams, plus a few others. So these matches are interesting because this type of opposition is different.
It is also important for the players to understand that they are not just coming here for a nice camp and two games before going back to their clubs. I will really observe every moment of this camp, their behaviour, their attitude, the training load and everything else. All of that will be important in two months when I make my final choices. I will tell the players that as well. This is not just another camp. It is more than that.
Does it feel like your journey with the South African national team is coming to an end?
No, no, no. The end is for later. Now it is still 100 per cent focus on what I have done over the last five years.
I am not thinking about the end at all. I am only thinking about how we can have a better World Cup than we had AFCON a few months ago in Morocco. That is the most important thing.
And if I stop after the World Cup, then I want to stop at a beautiful moment, not at a moment of disappointment, criticism or anything like that. If I stop, it must be a nice end to my career, and I will do everything in the next three months to achieve a very good World Cup with good results.
You often mention third place when talking about the World Cup group. Is that just realism?
Maybe people misunderstand me when I speak about third place. Before, only first and second counted. Now there is also the possibility of the best third-placed teams going through. That changes things.
It does not mean we are only aiming for third. If we have a chance to finish first or second, of course we will go for it. But for countries like ours, who are not among the traditional big teams, this is very important.
The big teams in the group, like Denmark or Mexico, will be thinking only about first or second. We are also thinking about first or second, for sure. But we know that if we do not manage that, there is still a chance through third place. So you cannot give up at any stage. You have to go all the way until the last game.
The important thing is clear: we want to get out of the group. Whether that is through first, second or third does not matter. Our goal is to progress.
SAFA has tried to arrange strong opposition before the World Cup. How difficult has that been?
We always said we wanted to play against a Central American team because that style is different. Ideally, the best preparation would be to play an Asian team, a Central American team and a European team.
But it is not so easy. People say, why not Brazil, why not Argentina? A few months ago Argentina wanted to play us in Johannesburg, but it would cost millions. Brazil as well. Panama is not coming for free either. You still have to pay a sum of money for them to come and play two matches here.
So SAFA made a big effort to get Panama, and I am very happy with that. Now we will see whether we can find an Asian or European opponent for May. But financially it is not easy.
You must understand, even if Brazil or Argentina came, ticket prices would have to be very high to make it work financially, and that is not realistic here. So again, I am happy with Panama and I hope we can still find another suitable opponent before the World Cup.
Relebohile Mofokeng has just scored the first hat-trick of his career. Is he now in the ideal form going into the World Cup?
He is in the right shape at the right time. But I think with Relebohile there was a period where he was still looking for himself. He became a star very quickly in South Africa, and once that happens, things become more difficult.
There was so much around his head that he forgot to play football. That is totally normal for a young player and I do not blame him for it. He did not have such a good season last year at Pirates, but this season, little by little, you could see him coming back.
Now you see again the Relebohile everybody wants to see, a very good player, and also in a different position. He plays more centrally now, and I think that is his future. He is not really a winger. Against weaker opponents he can maybe play wide, but against strong opponents he will not produce his best football there because he is not that type of explosive, line-hugging dribbler.
His qualities are his intelligence, his passing and his use of space. That is where he is best, and now you can see that clearly again.
Jayden Adams is back in the picture as well. How do you see his progress?
Jayden is a little bit the same story as Relebohile. When you are young and suddenly become a top player and a star, there is so much interest around you and it becomes difficult to manage.
At a certain moment he also lost himself. Then when he went to Sundowns, things became even harder. He was not playing, he was on the bench, sometimes even in the stands. He made mistakes as well, also with the national team, and I was not happy with that.
But I think he has learned a lot. Now, when you see him playing, like in Mali, he looks more mature. The quality was always there, but now he also seems more aware and more responsible. I think he looked in the mirror and understood that if he continued like that, his career could go backwards.
I am very happy with the way he has responded because everybody knows he is a very good player and I think he can help us a lot.
Denmark are being mentioned as the likely European team to come through the play-offs. Is that who you expect?
If you go by logic, then yes, maybe Denmark are the favourites. I think they are normally the best team among those in the play-offs. But do not underestimate Czechia. They are not a bad team at all.
The other teams, Northern Ireland and North Macedonia, are a little bit more underdogs, but in a knockout system anything can happen. Both games are do-or-die, so there can always be surprises.
If you ask my heart, I would prefer it not to be Denmark or Czechia. That does not mean we would automatically beat North Macedonia or Northern Ireland, because there is still quality there too. But we will wait and see. Denmark were very close to qualifying directly, so I do not think they will want to waste their second chance.
What is your message to young players who suddenly become stars?
The most important thing for young players is guidance. That is what they need most, someone next to them who looks after their interests and not their own interests.
Too often, when young players become successful, clubs or agents immediately think about money and not about what is best for the player. But proper guidance means asking: is this the right moment for him to move? Is this the right club? Is this really best for his career?
Sometimes you also have to be tough. If a player makes a mistake, you must tell him clearly that he made a mistake. Do not protect him or make excuses for him. That is guidance.
When players are young and suddenly have money, fame and attention, it is easy for things to go wrong. If they are not guided properly, talent can be wasted. We see that too often, young players come through, they look exciting, and then suddenly they disappear. That happens partly because they were not guided the right way.
That is something we still have to improve in this country, because it would help our young players a lot.