All set for Mpumalanga Premier’s Cup

Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu (center) alongside club representatives of teams participating in the preseason tournament. Photo: Supplied

The stage is set for Mpumalanga Premier’s Cup as the province’s big four teams will fight it out in a quadruple team tournament that will be played on Sunday 19 July at the Kanyamazane Stadium.

The tournament taking place this weekend was officially launched by the Mpumalanga premier Mandla Ndlovu last week.

TS Galaxy, Kruger United, Casric Stars, and The Bees are the four teams that will be fighting for the coveted Mpumalanga province trophy.

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The tournament is a joint iniative between the Mpumalanga government’s Department of Sport, Culture, and Recreation, and the Department of Education.

The first semi-final will be see Motsepe Foundation Championship club The Bees take on Premier Soccer League club TS Galaxy FC at 09h00.

In the second semi-final newly promoted Betway Premiership club Kruger United plays against Motsepe Foundation Championship side Casric Stars FC at 12h00.

The winners in both matches will meet in the final at 15h00.

Saturday 18 July 2026 is the tournament’s opening day which is going to feature schools and communities football and netball provincial final, where a best perfoming school will walk away with a brand new Toyota Quantum.

The change of date and venue

The tournament was initially set to be played on July 25, but was moved to a week earlier, on the weekend of the Nelson Mandela Day.

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The tournament was also originally set to be staged at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium in KwaMhlanga however a source close to the tournament informed KickOff that pitch challenges forced the decision to move it to Kanyamazane Stadium.

“In KwaMhlanga, they have a big challenge when it comes to the pitch there at Solomon Mahlangu Stadium,” averred the insider.

The source said there are doubts about whether the venue can sustain the number of teams that will be participating on the day.

“Remember, the pitch at Solomon Mahlangu is hosting two professional teams during the season, so there are fears that with the one-day tournament, the pitch might be damaged before even the season starts for Casric Stars and TS Galaxy,” added the source.

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