Written by: Holofelang Mogane
The 2025 MTN8 has served the South African football lovers with absolute drama and cinema football that has been filled with goals, upsets, and massive celebrations.
After epic quarter-finals and exhilarating semi-finals, all eyes and ears will turn to the MTN8 final. It is a repeat of last season’s MTN8 final, as the defending champions, Orlando Pirates, will take on Stellenbosch FC at a different arena.
Normally, we are all used to watching the MTN8 final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. But the Premier Soccer League has announced a different venue that will host this massive showpiece – a venue that is NOT Moses Mabhida Stadium.
For the 1st time in years, the MTN8 final will be hosted at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. This arena holds a capacity of up to 43 500 fans inside this beautiful stadium. It is located 40 kilometres away from the iconic Kruger National Park, where the best African wildlife can be found. The interesting features of the Mbombela Stadium include the giraffe-inspired roof and zebra-stripped seats.
The Mbombela Stadium has hosted three major football cup finals, including the fixtures of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the 2013 African Cup of Nations, the 2016 MTN8 final between Mamelodi Sundowns VS Bidvest Wits (now defunct Bidvest Wits), and the recent 2024 Nedbank Cup final between Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns.
In this edition of the MTN8 final, The Buccaneers are looking to make history by being the 1st PSL team to win the Top 8 title for a 4th successive season, whilst Stellies are looking to paint a massive stain on the remarkable unbeaten final streak Pirates brag about.
The last time these two teams met was last season’s Top 8 final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. Pirates came from a goal down to defeat the Cape Winelands side 3-1 in Durban to retain the title for the 3rd time last season. They go into this match as the defending champions and are looking to win the MTN8 final for the 4th successive time.
Stellies are looking to flip the script and cause the biggest upset in many years, as they have made their 3rd domestic cup final since the 2023 Carling Knockout Cup titletriumph after defeating TS Galaxy 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Durban. They are yet to win an MTN8 title in their history, and have a mountain to climb in order to cause an upset.
The stage is set, the finalists are confirmed, the battlefield is chosen… It is the MTN8 final, take 2, between Orlando Pirates VS Stellenbosch FC.
Who will take home the R10 million prize money, and who will be crowned MTN8 champions? We will find out on Saturday 13 September 2025. Kick-off is at 18h00
