Orlando Pirates stand on the verge of ending a 14-year league drought, with their fate firmly in their own hands as the Betway Premiership title race reaches its climax. The Soweto giants currently sit on 65 points from 28 matches, trailing defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns by just three points but holding a game in hand and a crucial +7 goal difference advantage over The Brazilians. For Jose Riveiro’s side, the equation is brutally simple: win their final two fixtures against Durban City on 16 May and Orbit College on 23 May, and they will be crowned champions for the first time since the 2011/12 season.
The path to glory was significantly eased by an unlikely helping hand from their fiercest rivals. Kaizer Chiefs, led by captain Brandon Peterson’s stoppage-time heroics, held Sundowns to a decisive 1-1 draw at Loftus Versfeld, swinging the momentum firmly in the Bucs’ favour. With CAF Champions League football already secured and half a dozen players earning call-ups to Hugo Broos’ latest Bafana Bafana squad, the club is enjoying a season of remarkable depth and ambition.
Beyond the silverware, the financial stakes are enormous. According to reports, the league champions will pocket a handsome R20 million prize purse, a sum that would represent a significant reward for ending nearly a decade and a half of Sundowns dominance. With just 180 minutes of football separating them from both the title and that lucrative bonus, Orlando Pirates are on the cusp of a glorious return to the summit of South African football.