South Africa's World Cup can end with pride, as Hugo Broos's side reached the knockout stages for the first time in history, having overcoming an early setback with the opening defeat by Mexico in the process.
While South Africa showed encouraging signs during the tournament to show that they could compete at this level, the competition also exposed some areas where the national side remain behind their opposition - let alone the top international sides in the world game.
Rather than viewing the tournament as the end of a journey, South Africa should see it as a foundation for another leap forward ahead of next year's Africa Cup of Nations and the next World Cup cycle.
Here are six priorities that Broos's successor must absolutely attend to if Bafana are to surpass their run to the knockouts this time around.
Solve the striker problem
South Africa's biggest weakness throughout the tournament was converting dominance into quality chances, let alone goals. Even against Canada, they had over 58 percent of the possession but took half as many shots as their opponents, forcing only once save from goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.
Lyle Foster started the tournament as first choice, but was discarded after 56 minutes against Mexico and wasn't seen again, Iqraam Rayners was drafted into the side at relatively late notice and looked lightweight, while Evidence Makgopa appeared clumsy and never really close to scoring.
It's an issue that stretches beyond this tournament, but only two goals from four matches - with only one from open play - is a poor return.
Broos has developed an admirable collective structure, but menace in the final third is completely missing, and Bafana aren't close enough to truly capitalising on those moments in the penalty box that can take them to another level.
They need to find a match-winner or two.
Add more power and pace
Broos could not have been clearer about where the physical gap lay against Canada, although the same could have been true against either Mexico or Czechia.
"We have to be honest, we lost because there was a lack of power and speed in our team as compared to our opponent," he told journalists. "Football is more than technique: it is power and speed.
"When you play against a team that has that - like Canada - then it is difficult."
South Africa's technical quality during the second half against Czechia and against South Korea allowed them back into the tournament, with their passing competitions helping them against supposedly stronger opponents.
But as matches became stretched, their physical failings became clear.
"It was back and forth and we couldn't stabilise," Teboho Mokoena said of the Canada game, while Aubrey Modiba talked of opponents whom he found to be "very physical, very quick, very tall."
Canada's athleticism allowed them to recover quickly, win transitions, maintain intensity. ZA found themselves chasing rather than controlling.
It's not simply about selecting bigger players - although Broos has done that to an extent with Yaya Sithole, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Ime Okon and Makgopa - but about developing players who can marry technical quality with the athleticism required to impose their game on opponents consistently.
Greater physical and mental resilience
Mokoena offered perhaps the most honest assessment of what happened as Canada took control of the knockout bout. "I think we retreated into our shells," he admitted. "We were starting to lose the legs and there were too many counter-attacks."
That observation highlights both Bafana's physical and psychological challenges.
Fatigue naturally impacts decision-making, positioning, confidence, with Stephen Eustaquio promptly capitalising on South Africa's deeper defending, less aggressive pressing and surrendering territory late on.
Ronwen Williams also acknowledged there were "a lot of tired legs out there," while it was somewhat baffling that Broos only used one of his substitutions before the 86th minute, and only three of his five in total.
Improving conditioning becomes more than just fitness. It's about ensuring Bafana can maintain a proactive style for 90 minutes, and not cede the initiative to fitter opponents.
Equally important - and Broos hasn't always helped here - is the mentality to continue trusting their football.
"[We must] believe in ourselves," Williams said after the match. "We showed that we can compete, we need to stick to what we know."
The temptation against stronger teams has occasionally been to abandon the principles that shaped the country's football. South Africa must give itself the best platform of maintaining that identity regardless of opponent or context.
Cut out the costly errors
Fine margins define the elite levels of football, and it's a lesson South Africa have had to learn the hard way at this World Cup.
Sphephelo Sithole's early error and then his red card against Mexico altered that contest completely, while individual lapses in key moments repeatedly proved expensive.
"If you make mistakes, they'll punish you," Modiba told ESPN. "At this high level, with the quality the teams possess, this is a lesson learned."
Improving concentration, composure, game management and decision-making under pressure should therefore become a central focus during future camps, while greater experience and exposure to higher levels will help Bafana become more sharpened to the costs of lapses.
Reduce the mistakes, and Bafana will immediately become harder to beat.
Start games with greater authority
Against Mexico, South Africa were behind after nine minutes, against Czechia, they were behind after six minutes. Against Canada, it could have been a similar story, with South Africa's defence finding themselves under pressure early on.
Things clearly improved as the tournament wore on; on Sunday, they were much quicker - for example - to clear the ball to the flanks in order to ease the pressure on the defence when Canada sought to take the initiative early on.
Ultimately, South Africa went almost three whole matches without conceding, having been breached only in the opening moments against Czechia, not at all against Korea, and then at the death against the co-hosts.
Modiba reckons concentration, at both the beginning and the end of games, needs to improve moving forward.
"I think the way we're conceding goals," he told ESPN, "the first two games early, [against Canada] we conceded late. We need to work on those.
"We need to make sure we switch on...and for 90-plus minutes."
International football offers little time to recover once momentum shifts.
Whether through sharper warm-ups, tactical adjustments or greater psychological preparation, South Africa need to ensure they're beginning games with full intensity, rather than spending ten minutes finding their feet, and then too often left chasing games.
Get more players competing overseas
The dominant Mamelodi Sundowns team of the last decade has been the bedrock of Broos's Bafana renaissance, but the Belgian coach recognised again - in the aftermath of his side's elimination - the limitations of relying again so heavily on local football.
"This was a success, but this is a level that's maybe two levels higher than the PSL," he told journalists. "The majority of our players are players of that competition. The clubs have to work on this."
Eight of the eleven who started against Canada are home-based players, with many in the squad never having played outside the South African top flight.
The subject of the insularity of South African football has never gone away since the country's readmission to FIFA, and while the PSL has improved enormously, and can prepare players for the AFCON, it cannot prepare them to defeat players featuring in Europe's strongest competitions.
Broos knows how important the right kind of overseas exposure is to helping players progress - look at his reaction to Mbokazi's move to Chicago Fire - but how many of the squad's talented youngsters will leave their comfort zone and/or get the opportunities to test themselves in tougher environments.