‘FA Cup’ Final Countdown

The final countdown to the 2026 Pick n Pay Gold Cup has begun, with just 10 weeks to go until kick-off of the ‘FA Cup’ of South African community rugby.

With 20 of the 32 teams now confirmed, the race to fill the remaining 12 slots is reaching boiling point in provincial leagues from Gauteng and Mpumalanga to North West and the Western Cape, where the current season’s results determine who qualifies.

The action will be just as fierce in the coming weeks in those unions who use the previous year’s league standings to determine Gold Cup qualification, with already-qualified clubs chasing domestic silverware while also using the matches as crucial preparation for the national stage.

The latest clubs to qualify include an exciting mix of old and new – perennial SWD contenders Evergreens, who reached the last eight of the inaugural Gold Cup in 2013, will make a welcome return alongside another Garden Route heavyweight, Groot-Brak.

They will be joined by Bethlehem Oud-Skoliere of the Griffons, who will play in the Gold Cup for the first time having been a giant of Eastern Free State community rugby for decades.

The Pick n Pay Gold Cup’s roots can be traced back to 1975, when the University of Stellenbosch’s Maties beat Durban Collegians in the first-ever National Club Championship final.

Today, 31 years into the professional era, the Gold Cup remains South Africa’s premiere national club tournament, serving as an aspirational platform for every single one of the country’s 1,197 clubs and their 118,000 registered players.

It has also evolved with the times into a highly popular knockout competition filled to the brim with jeopardy and providing a competitive stage for more clubs than at any point in its history. This year’s tournament celebrates a special milestone: it will be the 10th time that club players from across the country will compete for the priceless, almost-century-old nine-carat Gold Cup trophy. 

Since its post-pandemic return to the competition calendar in 2023, the format of the Pick n Pay Gold Cup has effectively mirrored the knockout stages of soccer’s recently-completed FIFA World Cup.

The action will begin on 26 September with a Round of 32, comprising two clubs from each of the 15 provincial unions, defending champions Naka Bulls and one wild card.

It will also be the second time that the tournament will be sponsored by Pick n Pay, the national retail chain’s investment into community rugby forming part of a four-year agreement with SA Rugby that includes becoming Tier-1 sponsors of the four-time Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks; the back-to-back sevens world champion Blitzboks; and the back-to-back Junior World Championship winning Junior Springboks; as well as all other national teams.

The success of the Gold Cup is also thanks in no small part to the support of Northam Platinum, whose commitment to community aligns with the grassroots spirit of the Pick n Pay Gold Cup.

Confirmed teams thus far (20) by provincial union:

Bulls:

Sanlam Naka Bulls (as defending champions)

Grizzlies

Centurion

Boland:

Saldanha

Roses United

Border:

East London Police

Young Leopards

Eastern Province:

Gardens

PE Harlequins

Griffons:

Welkom Club

Bethlehem Oud-Skoliere

Griquas:

Sishen

Kimberley

KZN:

College Rovers

Crusaders

Limpopo:

Northam Rhinos

Limpopo 2 – TBC after Limpopo League final on 29 Aug

SWD:

Evergreens

Groot-Brak

Valke:

Vereeniging

Brakpan

Pick n Pay Gold Cup Champions – 2013-2025:

2013 – Despatch (EP)

2014 – Rustenburg Impala (Leopards)

2015 – Durbanville-Bellville (WP)

2016 – Rustenburg Impala (Leopards)

2017 – False Bay (WP)

2018 – no tournament as Gold Cup transitioned from post-season to pre-season timeslot

2019 – Rustenburg Impala (Leopards)

2020-2022 – did not take place due to COVID

2023-2025 – Sanlam Naka Bulls (Bulls)