South Africa secured their place at the USA, Canada and Mexico finals with a 3-0 victory over Rwanda on Friday as Nigeria defeated Benin 4-0.
Qualification was taken out of Bafana's hands leading up to the final day of qualifying following their goalless draw with Zimbabwe the Friday night before, but Nthethe says there has been a shift in the mentality of the team under Broos that makes them dangerous.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns and Bloemfontein Celtic defender, who accumulated 21 national team caps, explained just how much it means to the country for the team to have qualified, and admits he has been impressed by their improvements under Broos.
He told SportsBoom: "This means a lot because it's been years without us qualifying. We only played in a World Cup where we were the host in 2010. And after that, I mean, we've never even come close. But now, automatically, we qualified; this is great.
"The boys have been doing well, and they've been taking their chances, especially goals. We’ve been scoring goals. So, this is what I actually think has changed. We've been winning games. The boys showed hunger. The mentality was that whoever plays, make sure that the team and the nation go forward. I'm so proud.
“This will motivate them to do better and not to go to the World Cup next year just to add numbers, but to compete with the big teams in the world.”
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