By: Refilwe Sebola
The 2025 ABC Motsepe League National Playoffs are scheduled to take place from Tuesday, July 1, to Sunday, July 6, at the Tsakane Stadium in the Ekurhuleni region of Gauteng Province.
Nine provincial champions will compete for promotion to the National First Division (NFD), South Africa’s second-tier professional league. This year, three teams will earn promotion, an increase from the usual two, due to a vacancy created by the expulsion of Royal AM from the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
The South African Football Association (SAFA) officially confirmed the tournament draw on Tuesday, June 24.
The playoff format will see the nine teams divided into three groups of three, competing in a round-robin system. The group winners and the best-performing runner-up will advance to the semi-finals, with the top three teams overall securing promotion to the NFD.
The nine provincial representatives are:
– The Dolphins (Limpopo)
– African Warriors (Free State)
– Midlands Wanderers (KwaZulu-Natal)
– The Bees (Mpumalanga)
– Kakamas Juventus (Northern Cape)
– Gomora United (Gauteng)
– FC Ravens (Eastern Cape) – pending disciplinary case
– Thames FC (North West) – pending disciplinary case
– Zizwe United/Hanover Park (Western Cape) – final representative pending
The ABC Motsepe League playoffs serve as a crucial platform for emerging clubs aiming to break into professional ranks, featuring high stakes, national attention, and the aspirations of players, coaches, and communities hanging in the balance.