MBOMBELA, MPUMALANGA – Orlando Pirates are the 2025/26 Betway Premiership champions after beating Orbit College 2-0 at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday, ending a 14-year wait for the league crown.
The victory gave the Buccaneers 69 points from 30 games, finishing two points ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns on 68. It’s Pirates’ first league title since the 2011/12 season and their fifth of the PSL era.
The title-deciding match was tense in the first half, with Pirates creating chances through Relebohile Mofokeng and Tshepang Moremi but failing to convert. The breakthrough came deep into first-half stoppage time when Orbit goalkeeper Sabelo Nkomo punched a corner into his own net. Orbit conceded a second own goal in the second half to seal Pirates’ win.
The result also confirmed Orbit College’s relegation back to the Motsepe Foundation Championship after just one season in the top flight. Pirates’ triumph ended Mamelodi Sundowns’ eight-season dominance of South African football. The Buccaneers finished the campaign with a club-record 21 league wins and completed a domestic treble for the third time in the PSL era.
Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou’s side went into the final day needing a win to clinch the title after drawing 0-0 with Durban City the previous week.
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