The balls have been drawn, the dust has settled on a thrilling opening round and the 2026 Nedbank Cup has already delivered on its promise of “dreaming big.” With the defending champions, Kaizer Chiefs, dumped out at the first hurdle, the path to the podium is wide open.
Wednesday evening’s draw at the SuperSport TV studios in Randburg, Johannesburg, has ensured that the drama is only just beginning, as at least one more giant may fall before the quarter-finals.
Heavyweights Pirates and Sundowns kept apart
The headline fixture of the Last 16 is undoubtedly the clash between TS Galaxy and Mamelodi Sundowns. Galaxy, the 2019 champions after shocking Chiefs, have long been a ‘bogey team’ for the Brazilians. While Sundowns’ head coach Miguel Cardoso is desperate to reassert Masandawana’s dominance and secure a seventh Nedbank title, travelling to face the Rockets is a daunting assignment.
“It’s a different challenge from what we are used to. This is where big teams show their true colours. You can’t always show yourself by how you win trophies but also by how you come out of adversities,” said Grant Kekana.
“This is a chance for us to show why we are a big team. It’s giving us extra motivation to do well, to qualify in the Champions League and progress in the Nedbank Cup and we are obviously still in the running for the league. I think we are the most exciting team in the league and it’s about us getting back to those ways.
“We haven’t been playing our best football and we haven’t been getting the best results but we know what we need to do. We’ve come together as the senior gents and we just need the team to come back. That’s our motivation going to the end of the season.”
History favours the underdog here. Sundowns have failed to taste victory in their last three visits to Mpumalanga, making this a true ‘sink or swim’ moment for the former African champions.
Elsewhere, Stellenbosch FC, the giant-killers who ended Chiefs’ reign in the Last 32, have been rewarded with a tricky away trip to face Lamontville Golden Arrows.
Meanwhile, Orlando Pirates remain the team to beat. Having reached the final in each of the past three seasons, the Buccaneers will look to continue their march toward a potential third title in four years when they host second-tier side Casric Stars.
The draw has also paved the way for a historic run from the lower divisions. A provincial derby between Milford FC and Mkhambathi FC ensures that at least one side from the KwaZulu-Natal lower leagues will grace the quarter-finals, a testament to the depth of talent outside the top flight.
Last 32 Recap: A round of giants and guts
The 2026 edition began with a bang, producing 46 goals across 16 matches of high-octane drama. The round’s undisputed shock took place at the DHL Stadium on Wednesday, 4 February, when the defending champions Chiefs saw their title defence go up in smoke.
Stellenbosch FC secured a 2-1 victory, with Ibraheem Jabaar and Devin Titus providing the goals that rendered Flávio Silva’s late penalty a mere consolation. For the Amakhosi faithful, it was a bitter pill to swallow as their hopes for back-to-back trophies vanished in the Cape mist.
While Chiefs faltered, Pirates showed no such jitters. The Buccaneers cruised to a 4-1 demolition of TTM in Durban on Saturday, 7 February. New signing Andre de Jong opened his account for the club from the penalty spot, while Thalente Mbatha, Patrick Maswanganyi and a resurgent Sipho Mbule added the gloss to a dominant performance. Sundowns also navigated their opening hurdle, though they were made to sweat in a narrow 2-1 win over a spirited Gomora United on Wednesday.
The true “Magic of the Cup” was found in the smaller venues. In Dobsonville, Milford FC survived a massive scare against third-tier debutants SSU M17 this past Tuesday. Despite the amateur side pulling level before halftime, Milford held their nerve through a gruelling extra-time period and a tense penalty shootout to advance. AmaZulu FC were also forced into the deep end, needing a 113th-minute strike from Zimbabwean forward Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya to overcome a 10-man Polokwane City FC also on Tuesday.
AmaZulu coach Arthur “10111” Zwane is eager to win the Nedbank Cup and emulate Usuthu’s 1992 squad. Their victory in the 1992 Coca-Cola Cup, where they defeated Kaizer Chiefs 3-1 in Johannesburg, remains their sole piece of silverware in the top flight to date.
“Like any other team that wants to compete against the best, we’d like to see ourselves in the final. Hopefully, we can do what was done by the generation of 1992.
“It [that class] was a quality team… the Joseph Mlabas and Simon Magagulas of this world. Funny enough, I shared the room with Magagula at Pirates. It was a quality side AmaZulu had assembled in 1992 and we just want to emulate that team.”
As the competition moves to the Last 16 between February 21st and 24th, the narrative is clear: in the Nedbank Cup, reputation counts for nothing once the whistle blows.