PIC: Kaizer Chiefs’ Ashley du Preez

Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have set up a Nedbank Cup final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on May 10 to decide the destiny of the trophy this year. We round up the numbers on the heavyweight decider. 

1 – This is the first Nedbank Cup final since Nedbank started their sponsorship of the competition in 2008 to feature the two Soweto giants Chiefs and Pirates, and will in fact be only their third meeting overall in the competition over the last 17 years. Pirates won both the other two. 

1 – Only one Nedbank Cup final has gone to penalties when Mamelodi Sundowns and Ajax Cape Town played to a 0-0 draw at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in 2015. Sundowns triumphed 4-3 in the shoot-out. 

3 – Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro will be seeking a third Nedbank Cup title in a row after leading the side to victory in 2023 and 2024. No coach has ever lifted the trophy three years in succession.

3 – Former Pirates striker Kermit Erasmus heads the list of scorers in Nedbank Cup finals since 2008. He netted for SuperSport United as they defeated Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2012 final, and then bagged two for Pirates in their 3-1 victory over BidVest Wits in 2014. The only other players to have scored in multiple goals in finals are Jeremy Brockie (SuperSport United), Bradley Grobler (SuperSport United), Thulasizwe Mbuyane (Orlando Pirates) and Sifiso Vilakazi (BidVest Wits).

3 – The biggest wins in a Nedbank Cup final were the 4-1 success for SuperSport United over Pirates in 2017 in Durban, and the 3-0 victory for BidVest Wits over AmaZulu in Johannesburg in 2010. The last seven finals have all been decided by a single goal margin.

4 – Chiefs’ Pule Mmodi and Pirates’ Tshegofatso Mabasa are currently tied at the top of the scorers’ charts in the 2025 Nedbank Cup. They have four goals each and will be looking to add to that tally in the decider and snatch the Golden Boot.

5 – The Moses Mabhida Stadium will host the Nedbank Cup final for the fifth time. Chiefs beat SuperSport 1-0 in 2013, while Pirates defeated BidVest Wits 3-1 the following season. SuperSport then defeated Pirates 4-1 in 2017, before Chiefs lost to second-tier TS Galaxy 1-0 in 2019. So each of Pirates and Chiefs have tasted both victory and defeat at the venue.

7 – Pirates are appearing in a seventh Nedbank Cup final since 2008, a record for any team. They have four wins to their name. It takes them one clear of Sundowns, who have been to six finals (and also won four). Chiefs will appear in a third final in that time after a win in 2013 and a loss to second-tier TS Galaxy in 2019.     

7 – The biggest victory in this year’s Nedbank Cup so far remains the 7-0 win for TS Galaxy over CR Vasco da Gama in the Last 32. 

10 – The Chiefs are seeking to end a long 10-year wait for silverware. The last trophy they lifted was the league title at the end of the 2024-15 season. It is the longest barren spell in the club’s history.    

12 – Chiefs last lifted the Nedbank Cup in 2013 when they defeated SuperSport United 1-0 in the final after a tense battle that went to extra-time. Bernard parker scored the decisive goals. That win came at the same venue as this year’s final, the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

14 – Pirates coach Jose Riveiro is on a 14-game unbeaten run in the Nedbank Cup. This will be his last fixture before he departs The Buccaneers at the end of the campaign and could end his three-year stay without a loss in the prestigious cup competition.   

50 – The 2025 Nedbank Cup final will be Chiefs’ 50^th match in the competition since 2008. They have won 33, drawn five and lost 11 of the previous 49. Ironically, the 2024 final was Pirates’ 50^th game too as they defeated Sundowns 2-1.

89 – The total number of goals scored in the Nedbank Cup this season from 29 games, an average of 2.93 per game.

100 – Pirates maintained their 100% record in Nedbank Cup semifinals since 2008 with a seventh victory out of seven appearances when they beat Marumo Gallants 1-0 this year. No other team can match that consistency.