Few fixtures in African football carry the emotional weight, history and sheer spectacle of the Soweto Derby. Catch the action live on SuperSport. We will have a 90-minute build-up with digital build-up on our YouTube channel from 1:30pm CAT.
When Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates step out at the FNB Stadium on Saturday, 28 February, they won’t just be contesting three league points—they’ll be adding another chapter to a rivalry that has shaped the soul of South African football for more than half a century.
This will be the 109th league meeting between the two giants since their first clash back in 1971, a match Chiefs edged 4-3 and one that set the tone for decades of drama. Chiefs hold the historical league advantage with 45 wins to Pirates’ 27, while another 36 duels have ended level.Across all competitions, this is officially their 184th meeting, stretching back to the Rogue Cup in 1970.
The head-to-head record between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates when Amakhosi are the home team 🔍#SSDiski | #BetwayPrem pic.twitter.com/iPGpP0JAur
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) February 26, 2026
The modern PSL era has given us tighter contests: Chiefs lead with 18 wins to Pirates’ 16, and 24 draws across 58 league games. Yet recent history has tilted sharply. Pirates have claimed four straight league victories over Amakhosi—their best run in the PSL era—although Chiefs broke a broader losing streak with their Nedbank Cup final triumph last May.
One thing has been guaranteed since 2017: goals. The last 21 meetings in all competitions have produced at least one. And remarkably, the last 13 matches with a winning side have all been settled by a single goal. This derby rarely delivers comfort; it deals in edges, nerves and thin margins.
Amakhosi: Searching for rhythm again
Chiefs arrive at this derby after a stinging 2-1 home defeat to Stellenbosch—a result that snapped their nine-match unbeaten league run and ended a four-game clean sheet streak. They had taken the lead through Flavio Silva, only to surrender momentum and ultimately the match, continuing a worrying trend of dropping points from winning positions.
Despite that stumble, their defensive record remains one of the best in the league: only two first half goals conceded all season, and none from set plays, penalties or outside the box. But up front, their conversion rate remains a major concern—just 7.8 per cent of total shots resulting in goals, one of the lowest in the division despite leading the league for attempts on target.
Key attackers continue to shine individually.
• Glody Lilepo leads the league for shots on target (21).
• Flavio Silva is among the sharpest finishers by minutes-per-goal (one every 92).
• Mdu Shabalala remains one of the league’s most frequent visitors to the opposition box.
At home this season, Chiefs have been solid—four wins, four draws and two defeats—but another slip will mean back-to-back league losses at FNB for the first time this campaign.
Stanton Fredericks is asking some big questions 👀
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) February 26, 2026
Sibusiso Vilakazi believes Chiefs can't match Pirates in the Soweto Derby.
💻 Episode 2 of State of the Title Race is LIVE at 15:00 (CAT) on our YouTube channel.#SSDiski pic.twitter.com/diJ9Eo19NE
The Buccaneers: Wounded, but dangerous
Pirates may have suffered a shock Nedbank Cup exit to Casric Stars on penalties, but their league form before that was formidable—14 games unbeaten before their narrow 2-1 defeat to champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
A second straight league defeat would be their first since the opening weeks of the season, and they’ll be determined not to let a wobble become a slide.
Their numbers make for elite reading:
• The most shots attempted of any team (206).
• One of the league’s best conversion rates (12.6 per cent).
• The most goals from outside the box (six).
• No headed goals conceded all season.
Away from home, they’ve been especially impressive—five wins and two draws from eight—and they haven’t conceded a league goal on their travels in their last three matches.
Creative spark Relebogile Mofokeng, now one of the league’s top providers and creators, will again be central to Pirates’ attacking rhythm. At the back, Lebone Seema’s distribution and Kamogelo Sebelebele’s ball winning presence offer structure and calm.
What to Expect on Derby Day
Derbies are emotional, irrational and unpredictable, but the trends don’t lie:
• Recent fixtures almost always produce goals.
• They’re almost always decided by a single moment.
• Chiefs tend to rise after defeats.
• Pirates have developed a ruthless edge in the league version of this rivalry.
Chiefs’ defensive steel and Pirates’ early game intensity set the stage for a tactical chess match. Yet, as always, momentum may be decided by brilliance from a single player—or a mistake magnified by the scale of the occasion.
What’s certain is that the stadium will be heaving, the energy volcanic, and the stakes immense. In a season where both teams have shown strengths and frailties, the Soweto Derby again promises football at its rawest, loudest, and most dramatic.