Will it be nine out of nine for Mamelodi Sundowns next season?
That’s the question football supporters are asking themselves as the start of the Betway Premiership edges closer, with defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns looking to be on cloud nine.
The Premier Soccer League's 2025-26 season kicks off this weekend with the opening round of the MTN8. That will be a tasty appetiser for the next weekend's league start.
The Brazilians are on a record-breaking run of eight successive league title wins. Orlando Pirates, Stellenbosch FC and Sekhukhune United have tried to catch up with them in recent seasons.
We look at the prospects of the Premiership teams after they signed players and went through their pre-season training camps:
The Top Dogs
Mamelodi Sundowns
The Brazilians have continuity with coach Miguel Cardoso having only signed defender Fawaaz Basadien and cleared the dressing room, with Rivaldo Coetzee, Lebohang Maboe and Thabang Sibanyoni exiting.
Terrence Mashego, Kegan Johannes, Neo Maema, Thembinkosi Lorch and Lucas Ribeiro appear to be nearing the exit door with possible moves away from Chloorkop.
Orlando Pirates
For the last two seasons, the Buccaneers were bridesmaids to Sundowns and they will be under pressure to finally go all the way and win the league for the first time since 2012.
It will be interesting to see how Pirates shape up under new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, who has arrived with players Sihle Ndluli, Sipho Mbule, Oswin Appollis, Kamogelo Sebelebele, Yanela Mbuthuma, Tshepang Moremi, Sinoxolo Kwayiba, Masindi Nemtajela, Tshepho Mashiloane.
Stellenbosch FC
Unlike most teams, Stellies have not gone big on the transfer market, with the signings of Henri Stanic, Siviwe Nkwali and Muzomuhle Khanyi to boost the squad.
Experienced coach Steve Barker will enjoy the benefit of continuity having only lost Sihle Nduli, Liam de Kock, Olivier Touré and Tylon Smith and the Cape side will continue to impress next season.
The Pretenders
Sekhukhune United
They have been one of the busiest teams in the transfer market with more than 10 signings and it remains to be seen if coach Eric Tinkler can transform them into a championship-chasing unit.
It is strange for a team that finished fourth on the standings to sign so many players. A consistently competitive side season after season.
TS Galaxy
The Rockets have been quiet on the transfer market with the arrivals of Thabang Semache and Thabang Rakwena and coach Adnan Beganovic finds himself in a difficult situation building a competitive team.
They will have to find a way of doing battle without Sphiwe Mahlangu, Kamogelo Sebelebele and Dzenan Zajmovic, who were influential for them last season and this may affect them negatively.
AmaZulu
Coach Arthur Zwane has not made too many acquisitions on the transfer market and there is every possibility of new players still joining Usuthu as they look to boost the team for the season.
Polokwane City
It is no secret Polokwane punched above their weight under coach Phuti Mohafe last season. They were undone by lack of quality in the second round but still ended in a decent seventh.
Lack of quality is going to be struggle again as they cannot afford to buy proven and experienced players and they have lost influential attacker Oswin Appollis to Pirates.
Richards Bay
The Natal Rich Boyz achieved more than expected by finishing eighth in 2024-25. Coach Papi Zothwane is going to be under pressure to replicate that performance this season.
Much to prove and potential battlers
Kaizer Chiefs
Kaizer Chiefs started off by keeping coach Nasredinne Nabi after he won the Nedbank Cup last season and they went to the market to sign Nkanyiso Shinga, Thabiso Monyane, Paseka Mako, Ethan Chislett, Siphesihle Ndlovu and Flávio Silva.
They went on a pre-season camp in Holland where they played friendly matches against local sides SBV Vitesse Arnhem, FC Utrecht, NEC Nijmegen, PEC Zwolle and FC Twente and the lost to Ghanaian side Asante Kotoko at the weekend — their fifth defeat in six preseason friendlies. Nabi will have to do some improving on last season's ninth-place finish, and fight to keep his job.
Marumo Gallants
They blew hot and cold all season long with reports of instability behind the scenes but improved and showed direction when coach Abdeslam Ouaddou arrived.
Because of the issues behind the scenes, Ouaddou left at the end of the season and later joined Pirates in a shock move and Marumo have since appointed little-known Alexandre Lafitte.
Chippa United
A lot has happened at the Chilli Boyz during the off-season with owner Siviwe Mpengesi taking the bold direction of appointing Sinethemba Badela, 35, as coach.
Mpengesi has also put a lot of responsibility on Sinesipho Mali as the sporting director. They started by releasing 18 players while they are yet to officially announce arrivals.
Golden Arrows
Abafana Bes'thende have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the Premiership over the past few seasons and coach Manqoba Mngqithi has his work cut out rectifying that.
The good news is he was with the team in the second half of last season and will approach this one with the benefit of continuity.
Magesi FC
They started the season well but their performances in the league dropped significantly after they won the Carling Knockout and that led to the dismissal of coach Clinton Larsen.
Owen Da Gama joined the fray and he helped them to safety with a string of good results, but he has a lot of work to do this season to ensure they are competitive with scant resources. Magesi will have to box smart this season.
Siwelele FC
Much attention will be on the new club, which bought the status of SuperSport United, to see how it goes about its business in its maiden Premiership campaign.
They have new owners but kept much of the management and some of the players who featured for SuperSport last season. Siwelele moved swiftly to appoint Lehlohonolo Seema as coach to work with Andre Arendse.
Orbit College
It seems a stretch for a team that is owned by a North West TVET college to survive in the Premiership. Monnapule Saleng is a strong headline signing on loan from Pirates, but there has not been a lot more coming in so far and coach Pogiso Makhoye has his work cut out, especially since he will be balancing a full-time job as an IT manager at the college too.
Their strong playoffs campaign, relegating Premiership Cape Town City, will give them some hope of survival in the top flight, but it will be a long season for Orbit.
Durban City
They were relegated as Maritzburg United at the end of the 2023-24 campaign but bounced back as Durban City when they won the Motsepe Foundation Championship last campaign. They are one of the teams that will have a lot to prove if they belong in the paid ranks.
But they have also moved swiftly to appoint vastly experienced and successful Gavin Hunt as coach and are also working on bringing some experience to the playing ranks.
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