There will be numerous opportunities for giant-killing acts when the 2025 Nedbank Cup gets under way on Friday, with eight of the Last 32 ties pitting topflight teams against lower league opposition.
There has long been a tradition of upsets at this stage of the Nedbank Cup, as topflight teams have been surprised by sides from the second, third and even fourth-tier in the past.
In all there have been 27 instances in the previous 17 seasons where a team from outside the Premiership has toppled a topflight team, including two in 2024.
Milford FC from the Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC) defeated Kaizer Chiefs on penalties following a 0-0 draw – a record-extending seventh time that the AmaKhosi have been beaten by lower league opponents.
University of Pretoria also defeated Cape Town Spurs 1-0 to claim another topflight scalp, their second in three seasons in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 after they also beat Chippa United 2-0 in 2022.
There was one major upset in 2023 as third tier Dondol Stars ousted three-time winners SuperSport United in the first round. Stars would go on to beat AmaZulu in the Last 16 and were only beaten on penalties by eventual winners Orlando Pirates in the quarterfinals.
CLOSING GAP
Of those 27 shock results in the Last 32, 15 have occurred in the last six years as the gap closes considerably between top-tier clubs and those below them.
Perhaps the biggest upset of all was the victory on penalties for fourth-tier Vaal University of Technology over Lamontville Golden Arrows in 2020 after the teams had played to a 2-2 draw.
It remains the only occasion in which a side from the SAB Regional League has beaten a Premiership club in the Nedbank Cup.
But there have been plenty of others. The year with the most upsets was 2019, when four second-tier sides got the better of topflight opposition.
TTM beat Polokwane City (2-1) in a Limpopo Derby, Richards Bay ousted Free State Stars by the same scoreline, Jomo Cosmos defeated Baroka FC 1-0 and Witbank Spurs edged Maritzburg United on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
The year 2013 was also a big one for upsets in the Last 32, included another contender for the greatest of them all as Free State ABC Motsepe League side Maluti FET College thumped Orlando Pirates 4-1.
Maluti even missed a penalty in that game that could have made the scoreline worse. MFC side United FC also claimed a 3-2 win over Chippa United that year, while AmaZulu were beaten by third-tier Tembu Royals.
In 2008, Ikapa Sporting beat Bloemfontein Celtic 3-2 in a thrilling cup tie, while fellow second-tier side Mpumalanga Black Aces beat Thanda Royal Zulu 2-0 on their way to making it to the final. AmaZayoni were beaten 1-0 by Mamelodi Sundowns in the decider.
There were also two upsets in 2017, as Cape Town City lost 1-0 at Mpumalanga ABC Motsepe League club Acornbush United, and Ajax Cape Town were edged on penalties by third-tier KwaDukuza United after a 2-2 draw.
Chippa United are not big fans of this stage, they are the only topflight side to lose four Last 32 ties to lower league opposition.
They went out to Dan Malesela’s United FC in 2013, were beaten on penalties by Natal United in 2015, lost to Baroka FC the following year (when Malesela was now their coach) and were beaten by University of Pretoria three seasons ago.
Among the potential upsets in the Last 32 this season, second-tier Pretoria Callies host Marumo Gallants on Friday, while Free State ABC Motsepe League club Sibanye Golden Stars go to Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.
BIGGEST SHOCK YET TO COME?
If they can pull off a result there it may go down as the biggest shock in Nedbank Cup history.
Third-tier The Bees are at Polokwane City on Sunday, while Chiefs will have their dodgy record against lower league teams tested again when they host fellow Gauteng side Free Agents FC, an amateur team, the same day.
Milford FC make the short journey to fellow KwaZulu-Natal outfit Royal AM on Monday, while third-tier Mighty Eagles from the Eastern Cape are at AmaZulu a day later, when second-tier Kruger United also go to Stellenbosch FC.
Finally, topflight TS Galaxy, who won the Nedbank Cup as a second-tier side in 2019, host Cape Town ABC Motsepe League outfit CR Vasco da Gama next Wednesday.
Most eyes will be on Free Agents FC to see if they can repeat Baroka FC’s feat in 2011.
“I would say my teammates are excited (to play Chiefs), personally I’m excited because I think it’s everyone’s dream to play against Chiefs, Orlando Pirates or Mamelodi Sundowns,” Free agents captain Thulani Dhladhla said.
“So I think they’re feeling the way that I’m feeling, they are really looking forward to this match and they are starting to prepare for it. I think the fixture favours us because they’re a team that has a history of losing against lower division clubs, which means we have a good chance of winning against them.”
Mighty Eagles coach Sibusiso Mapompo is also looking forward to testing his side when they go to Usuthu.
“Before the draw, the players were saying they wanted to face a PSL team because they wanted to test themselves against the best in the country. They got that and they were very happy,” Mapompo said.
“I thought they would be nervous or scared but they are excited and eager to compete. That’s all you need as a coach, motivated players and tactics that are followed. All you need is the right mentality in the camp to proceed in the competition.
“In ABC Motsepe League there are a lot of age restriction rules and in the Nedbank Cup, there are none. We will have to assess our senior and experienced players and see which youngsters are ready for that game.
“Overall, we won’t change how we play because we are playing against a big team.”
VICTORIES FOR LOWER LEAGUE TEAMS OVER TOPFLIGHT SIDES IN THE NEDBANK CUP LAST 32
2008
- Ikapa Sporting 3-2 Bloemfontein Celtic
- Mpumalanga Black Aces 2-0 Thanda Royal Zulu
2009: Black Leopards 1-0 AmaZulu
2010: Platinum Stars 2-3 Als Puk Tawana
2011: None
2012: None
2013
- Maluti FET College 4-1 Orlando Pirates
- United FC 3-2 Chippa United
- AmaZulu 1-2 Tembu Royals
2014: Free State Stars 0-1 Witbank Spurs
2015: Chippa United 0-0 Natal United (aet; United won 4-2 on pens)
2016: Chippa United 2-3 Baroka
2017
- Acornbush United 1-0 Cape Town City
- KwaDukuza United 2-2 Ajax Cape Town (aet; United won 4-3 on pens)
2018: None
2019
- Polokwane City 1-2 TTM
- Free State Stars 1-2 Richards Bay
- Witbank Spurs 2-2 Maritzburg United (aet; Spurs won 5-4 on pens)
- Baroka FC 0-1 Jomo Cosmos
2020
- Vaal University of Technology 2-2 Lamontville Golden Arrows (aet; VUT won 6-5 on pens)
- Mbombela United 1-0 Cape Town City
2021
- TS Galaxy 0-0 TS Sporting (aet: Sporting won 5-4 on pens)
- Kaizer Chiefs 1-2 Richards Bay
- Baroka FC 1-1 Cape Town Spurs (aet; Spurs won 5-4 on pens)
2022
- University of Pretoria 2-0 Chippa United
- TTM 1-1 Lamontville Golden Arrows (aet; TTM won 7-6 on pens)
- Platinum City Rovers 1-1 Sekhukhune United (aet; City Rovers won 3-2 on pens)
2023: SuperSport United 1-2 Dondol Stars
2024
- University of Pretoria 1-0 Cape Town Spurs
- Milford FC 0-0 Kaizer Chiefs (aet; Milford won 5-4 on pens)