Orlando Pirates finished the 2025/26 Betway Premiership on 69 points, one ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns, after beating Orbit College 2-0 at Mbombela Stadium on 23 May. The result ended the Pretoria club's run of eight straight league titles. Sundowns had already completed their league programme early to prepare for the CAF Champions League final, which they went on to win.
Eight rounds into the new season, the order at the top of the log has not changed. Sundowns lead on 20 points from eight games, and Pirates are one point behind with a game in hand, having conceded a single goal in seven matches.
Before the opening round on 1 August, bookmakers priced Sundowns at 1.10 for the title and Pirates at 1.40. At those odds, R10 on the Brazilians returns R1 of profit, against R4 on the defending champions. Anyone opening an account to back either side can apply the easybet promo code in South Africa to the first deposit before making that choice. After eight rounds, the log is a lot closer than those prices suggested.
Club | Pre-season title odds |
Mamelodi Sundowns | 1.10 |
Orlando Pirates | 1.40 |
Kaizer Chiefs | 3.30 |
AmaZulu | 33.00 |
Sekhukhune United | 33.00 |
How Orlando Pirates won the 2025/26 title by a single point
Pirates built their title on consistency: a club-record 21 wins in 30 games and only 12 league goals conceded, on the way to a domestic treble. It was settled on the final day by two Orbit College own goals, from Nkomo just before half-time and Ndumiso Ngiba four minutes after the restart, and it ended a 14-year wait for the league.
Sundowns finished with 20 wins, eight draws and two defeats for 68 points. Several of those draws came in matches they were expected to win, while the squad was also carrying a Champions League campaign that ended with the trophy coming back to Pretoria.
Loftus Versfeld and the home record Pirates have to beat
Visiting teams have rarely left Loftus Versfeld with anything over the last three seasons. Sundowns last lost a home league match on the final day of 2023/24, 1-0 to Cape Town City, a result that cost them an unbeaten season. By mid-May last season they had played 27 league games at home since then, winning 25 and drawing two, with only Pirates and Stellenbosch taking points away. They are unbeaten again this season.
With 15 home fixtures in a 30-match season, a record like that gives any challenger very little margin. It also helps explain why the bookmakers kept Sundowns ahead of the champions in August, despite the lost title.
Miguel Cardoso against Abdeslam Ouaddou, and the CAF calendar
Sundowns and Pirates are South Africa's two CAF Champions League representatives in 2026/27, so both coaches have to manage league and continental fixtures at the same time. The effect already shows on the log: Pirates missed a league round in mid-September because of CAF duty, which is why they have a game in hand.
Miguel Cardoso has been through this before. Last March he publicly criticised the league for refusing to postpone a midweek fixture played three days before a Champions League tie against Stade Malien at Loftus, and heavy rotation cost Sundowns points more than once that season. Abdeslam Ouaddou, who wants back-to-back titles with the Bucs, is dealing with that workload for the first time as defending champion.
Early 2026/27 numbers: Sundowns keep the ball, Pirates keep clean sheets
The statistics from the opening weeks point in two directions. Sundowns lead on possession, passing and chance creation, with 148 touches in the opposition box to Pirates' 126 and 24 big chances to 22. Pirates have the higher FotMob team rating, 7.30 against 7.02, largely because of a defence that had conceded once in seven league matches by 20 September.
Sundowns' one-point lead is also less comfortable than it looks. On 12 September they needed a last-kick equaliser to draw 1-1 at Chippa United and avoid their first league defeat of the season. Eight days later, Pirates won 2-0 at Marumo Gallants through Kgositsile and captain Nkosinathi Sibisi to move within a point.
Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu behind the leading pair
Kaizer Chiefs were 3.30 before the season and are still unbeaten, with three wins and four draws from seven games, but 13 points already leaves Amakhosi well adrift of the top two. AmaZulu, 33.00 in August, are third, ahead of Chiefs.
Neither club has done enough to turn this into a three-way race. After eight rounds, the top of the log looks much as it did after 30 last season, and the title is likely to turn on the two league meetings between Sundowns and Pirates rather than on results against the chasing pack.