South Africa coach Raymond Mdaka sat down with SAFA to discuss his side’s campaign at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Chile that kicks-off on Monday night against France.
South Africa are the reigning COSAFA and African champions.
Coach, this is the big one. First of all, let’s start with you personally. What does it feel like being at a World Cup, leading a team from South Africa’s colleges?A lot of people would probably see it differently. Some would celebrate right away, but for me it becomes a challenge. You always think about how far you can go, how well you can do. Still, I really appreciate the opportunity. Everyone in football dreams of playing or coaching at the World Cup, so it’s a blessing. I wouldn’t call it an achievement yet, that would be bringing home silverware. But for me, as a coach, it is a moment I truly value.
Let’s look back briefly at the journey, Mozambique, COSAFA, Egypt, AFCON, and now Chile for the World Cup. What does that mean to you?We’ve actually compiled a document that tells the whole story. It was all planned, even though we knew how difficult it would be. We set long-term and short-term objectives, and one of the long-term ones was to see South Africa qualify for the World Cup. That has now been achieved.
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Winning COSAFA with the kind of performances we showed was massive, but for me the real starting point was the first camp. We had over 60 or 80 players, and the core of this current team comes from there. That camp set the foundation, our roadmap led from COSAFA to AFCON, and from AFCON to the World Cup.
We never really thought about lifting the AFCON trophy, we just wanted to qualify for the World Cup. But we went beyond that and became champions of Africa. That tells you about the effort from everyone, from the technical team to the support staff.
For South Africa, it shows there is a brighter football future if we get the right structures, the right people, the right plans, and the right support. Then qualifying for World Cups can become a regular reality.
Speaking of your staff and players, how much has this team grown since Mozambique, and how will that help in this tournament?I always go back to Mozambique. That competition showed us what kind of players we had. Our first match was against Malawi, who had beaten South Africa before. We were even in the same hotel with them. But our boys had belief and confidence, and they surprised everyone. That’s when we realized the talent we had.
From there, it was about the technical team saying, “Now we need to work on the next level.” Talent alone is not enough, you need tactical understanding. We worked hard to educate the players tactically and in other areas, and it paid off.
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By the time we went to AFCON, we already knew what we had. We didn’t shout about it, but we believed. We introduced pre-match agreements where the players themselves reviewed and repeated the game plans. Everyone knew the approach, and that unity helped us achieve what we did in Egypt.
Now, as African champions, we believe in the team. With the same attitude and mindset, we can do well at the World Cup.
As African champions, what will it take to conquer the world?I don’t want to think too far ahead, because the game always has its challenges. But I go back to AFCON: when we reached the semi-final, the players told me, “Coach Ray, we don’t just want to qualify. We want the trophy, not the silver medal, the gold medal, and we’ll get it.”
We played Zambia then, and later in Egypt after Nigeria, they reminded me: “Coach, like we told you in Mozambique, today will be the same story.” And indeed, it was.
I love that character and confidence. It makes things easier for us as a team. But the World Cup is different, it’s the biggest stage, with every country bringing its best.