The 2025/26 Betway Premiership season kicks off this weekend, and to raise the curtain, Mamelodi Sundowns will begin their title defending season in Gqeberha against Chippa United on Saturday afternoon at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
As the new campaign takes off, the objective remains the same for the Pretoria-based side: to add another league trophy to their cabinet. Having had a strong start to the season following the 4-0 triumph against Richards Bay in the MTN8 last week, the result served as the perfect dress rehearsal for their league opener.
Looking ahead to the new season, coach Miguel Cardoso admitted to how difficult the season may be with how the teams have beefed up their squads. This, for him, however, does not take anything away from his charges. He is still upbeat about the quality players he has and the kind of strong performances they can display this season.
“The competition is very tough this season, and I have always said that the Betway Premiership is a tough league to compete in. Despite the records that we broke last season, it had more to do with the high standard that we put in as a team rather than the lower performances put in by other teams,” the tactician said.
“This season, we will uphold the same standards game by game and with commitment. We will win all the time or drop as less points as possible so that in the end we can be in a position to fight for the championship once again.”
In the two fixtures played between the Chilli Boys and Bafana Ba Style last season, Downs walked away with six goals, six points, and two clean sheets. While they look to conquer them even in this season, the only difference will be the Chili Boys’ squad alterations. The Portugal-born coach has urged his side to have a strong start to the season, despite knowing less about their opponent.
“Any Club that is capable of competing at the highest level must be very respectful towards their opponents. The story of Mamelodi Sundowns obliges us to think about winning regularly. I told the players that it’s very important to deliver a strong statement in the first match of the new league season.”
“Chippa United have been playing some friendly matches here in Johannesburg, but we do not know what to expect. I hope that after the match on Saturday, coach Sinethemba Badela – the new coach of Chippa – goes on to have a successful career,” he concluded.
Mamelodi Sundowns will go head-to-head with Chippa United for the league opener on Saturday afternoon at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Kick-off has been scheduled for 15H00, live on SuperSport TV.
