The 2025/26 Promotion Playoff draw was conducted on Thursday at the Betway Premiership headquarters in Parktown, setting the stage for a tense end to the season. According to the rules, the 15th-placed team in the Betway Premiership—currently Marumo Gallants with two matches left—will enter as Club 1. Kruger United have already secured the NFD title and automatic promotion, while Milford FC and Cape Town City FC occupy the second and third NFD spots with one game remaining. These two sides will enter the playoff as Club 3 and Club 2, respectively, though which is which remains unconfirmed until the final standings are set.
The draw has produced a provisional six-match schedule that will determine who earns the final top-flight berth. The action begins on 26 May when the second and third NFD sides meet, followed by the Premiership’s 15th-place club facing NFD’s second-place team on 30 May. The round-robin format continues through early June, with the decisive fixtures seeing NFD3 take on Club 1 on 3 June, before the NFD sides swap home advantage on 6 June. The playoff concludes with NFD2 hosting Club 1 on 10 June and Club 1 traveling to face NFD3 on 13 June.
Full fixture details, including venues and kickoff times, are expected to be confirmed in the coming days, but the stakes are already crystal clear. Marumo Gallants, currently in the relegation hot seat, know they must navigate this treacherous playoff gauntlet to avoid dropping into the National First Division. Meanwhile, the NFD’s second and third-placed teams will see this as a golden opportunity to punch their ticket to the Betway Premiership, making every one of these six matches a high-pressure battle for survival and promotion alike.