Orlando Pirates End Sundowns' PSL Dominance By Winning 2025-26 Betway Premiership
Buccaneers Complete Domestic Treble With Victory over Orbit College
The 2025-26 season will go down in the history books as one of the most memorable for Orlando Pirates, who ended their 14-year wait to return to the summit of South African football by beating Orbit College 2-0 at the Mbombela Stadium to secure the Betway Premiership title.
The victory, which confirmed our PSL predictions, took the Buccaneers to 69 points for the season, one point above Mamelodi Sundowns, whose eight-year reign as champions of Mzansi was brought to an end.
Orbit College began the match positively, but ultimately were the makers of their own downfall, having scored two own goals in either half (Sabelo Calvin Nkomo and Ndumiso Ngiba). The defeat also saw the Mswenko Boys relegated to the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
Trying to add to their advantage, Pirates pushed for a third goal and nearly found it at the hour mark through Tshepang Moremi, whose blistering shot drifted wide. Moments later, Kamogelo Sebelebele was also denied after attempting an effort from a tight angle.
The Mbombela has been a happy hunting ground for the Sea Robbers this season, as it was at this very stadium that they clinched the MTN8 title earlier this year. Winning the league title means that the Bucs have also completed the domestic treble, having beaten Marumo Gallants in the Carling Knockout Cup final.
2025-26 Betway Premiership Final Standings
Aside from Orlando Pirates, the 2025-26 Betway Premiership season was also a good one for their Soweto rivals, Kaizer Chiefs, who finished in third place with 54 points and earned a return to continental football, qualifying for next season’s CAF Confederation Cup.
The second Confederation Cup berth went to Durban City, thanks to their triumph over TS Galaxy in the Nedbank Cup final. The Rockets endured a forgettable campaign, finishing in 12th place with 32 points after ending last term in fifth spot.
The final day of the season was crucial for Magesi, as they pulled off a 1-0 victory over Richards Bay at the Seshego Stadium, which saw them move off the bottom of the table. However, they will still have to fight for their top-flight status in the relegation Playoffs.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orlando Pirates | 30 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 58 | 12 | 46 | 69 |
| 2 | Mamelodi Sundowns | 30 | 20 | 8 | 2 | 57 | 21 | 36 | 68 |
| 3 | Kaizer Chiefs | 30 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 33 | 19 | 14 | 54 |
| 4 | AmaZulu | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 32 | 29 | 3 | 47 |
| 5 | Sekhukhune United | 30 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 32 | 27 | 5 | 44 |
| 6 | Lamontville Golden Arrows | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 34 | 33 | 1 | 41 |
| 7 | Polokwane City | 30 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 40 |
| 8 | Durban City | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 25 | 26 | −1 | 39 |
| 9 | Stellenbosch | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 26 | 30 | −4 | 37 |
| 10 | Siwelele | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 28 | −4 | 37 |
| 11 | Richards Bay | 30 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 30 | −7 | 34 |
| 12 | TS Galaxy | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 30 | 38 | −8 | 32 |
| 13 | Chippa United | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 44 | −20 | 28 |
| 14 | Marumo Gallants | 30 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 21 | 38 | −17 | 25 |
| 15 | Magesi (Q) | 30 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 24 | 43 | −19 | 24 |
| 16 | Orbit College (R) | 30 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 21 | 47 | −26 | 24 |
