PIC: Dondol Stars players celebrate victory in the 2023 Nedbank Cup match against SuperSport United

There will be numerous opportunities for giant-killing acts when the 2024 Nedbank Cup gets under way on February 20, with no less than eight of the Last 32 ties pitting topflight teams against lower league opposition.

There was one major upset in 2023 as third tier Dondol Stars ousted three-time winners SuperSport United in the first round, but otherwise it was safe passage for the DStv Premiership teams 12 months ago.
That was certainly not the case in the two years before that with some huge upsets.

There have been 25 such shocks since 2008, but 13 of those, or half, have occurred in the last five years as the gap closes considerably between top-tier clubs and those below them. 

Perhaps the biggest of all was the victory on penalties for fourth-tier Vaal University of Technology over Lamontville Golden Arrows in 2020 after the teams had played to a 2-2 draw.
It remains the only occasion in which a side from the SAB Regional League has beaten a DStv Premiership club in the Nedbank Cup.
But there have been plenty of others. The year with the most upsets from 2019, when four second-tier sides got the better of topflight opposition. 
TTM beat Polokwane City (2-1) in a Limpopo Derby, Richards Bay ousted Free State Stars by the same scoreline, Jomo Cosmos defeated Baroka FC 1-0 and Witbank Spurs edged Maritzburg United on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

The year 2013 was also a big one for upsets in the Last 32, included another contender for the greatest of them all as Free State ABC Motsepe League side Maluti FET College thumped Orlando Pirates 4-1. 

Maluti even missed a penalty in that game that could have made the scoreline worse. National First Division side United FC also claimed a 3-2 win over Chippa United that year, while AmaZulu were beaten by third-tier Tembu Royals.

In 2008, Ikapa Sporting beat Bloemfontein Celtic 3-2 in a thrilling cup tie, while fellow second-tier side Mpumalanga Black Aces beat Thanda Royal Zulu 2-0 on their way to making it to the final. AmaZayoni were beaten 1-0 by Mamelodi Sundowns in the decider.

There were also two upsets in 2017, as Cape Town City lost 1-0 at Mpumalanga ABC Motsepe League club Acornbush United, and Ajax Cape Town were edged on penalties by third-tier KwaDukuza United after a 2-2 draw.
Chippa United are not big fans of this stage, they are the only topflight side to lose four Last 32 ties to lower league opposition.

They went out to Dan Malesela’s United FC in 2013, were beaten on penalties by Natal United in 2015, lost to Baroka FC the following year (when Malesela was now their coach) and were beaten by University of Pretoria in 2022.
And Chippa will be one of those sweating again this year as they prepare to travel to Upington to meet Northern Cape outfit NC Professionals on Feb. 25. That will be no ‘gimme’ win.

There are another seven ties where we could see upsets, including on the opening night of the Last 32 on Feb. 20.
“We are excited, as much as we have to respect them, they are not champions for nothing. For us as a fairly new team in the first division, it is going to be motivation on its own (to face Sundowns),” La Masia CEO Rashid Toffie said.

“I just hope my players will come to the party and put their hands up. It is a chance for them to use this platform to showcase talent.”

Toffie acknowledged that his side are the massive underdogs but says the Nedbank Cup is full of surprises and they are not writing off their chances.

“Football is football, we have seen in the past. What we expect from our players is to go out and play how we know they can and to use this platform. We don’t want to come across as arrogant, we must honour and respect the game, and enjoy it,” he said.
Highlands Park, now in the third tier, host last year’s beaten finalists from the DStv Premiership, Sekhukhune United on Feb. 21.

“It is a good draw for us as Highlands Park, we have youngsters who wanted this opportunity to showcase their talent. We have a good squad of players,” veteran Highlands Park goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini said.

Cape Town Spurs have a tricky away clash at University of Pretoria on the same night.

Pretoria Callies go in the opposition direction when they travel to Stellenbosch FC on Feb. 23, a might challenge for any team these days, let alone one from the second tier.

Platinum City Rovers will be hoping to spring a surprise on Moroka Swallows on Feb. 24, while that same afternoon Orlando Pirates travel to an as yet unnamed team from the SAFA structures in the Mpumalanga province.
Finally, Kaizer Chiefs, who have lost to lower league opponents six times before in the Nedbank Cup since 2008, more than any other topflight team, host second-tier Milford FC on Feb. 25.

VICTORIES FOR LOWER LEAGUE TEAMS OVER TOPFLIGHT SIDES IN THE NEDBANK CUP LAST 32

2008

Ikapa Sporting 3-2 Bloemfontein Celtic
Mpumalanga Black Aces 2-0 Thanda Royal Zulu

2009

Black Leopards 1-0 AmaZulu

2010

Platinum Stars 2-3 Als Puk Tawana

2011

None

2012

None

2013

Maluti FET College 4-1 Orlando Pirates
United FC 3-2 Chippa United
AmaZulu 1-2 Tembu Royals

2014

Free State Stars 0-1 Witbank Spurs

2015

Chippa United 0-0 Natal United (aet; United won 4-2 on pens)

2016

Chippa United 2-3 Baroka

2017

Acornbush United 1-0 Cape Town City
KwaDukuza United 2-2 Ajax Cape Town (aet; United won 4-3 on pens)

2018

None

2019

Polokwane City 1-2 TTM
Free State Stars 1-2 Richards Bay
Witbank Spurs 2-2 Maritzburg United (aet; Spurs won 5-4 on pens) 
Baroka FC 0-1 Jomo Cosmos

2020
Vaal University of Technology 2-2 Lamontville Golden Arrows (aet; VUT won 6-5 on pens)
Mbombela United 1-0 Cape Town City

2021

TS Galaxy 0-0 TS Sporting (aet: Sporting won 5-4 on pens) 
Kaizer Chiefs 1-2 Richards Bay
Baroka FC 1-1 Cape Town Spurs (aet; Spurs won 5-4 on pens)

2022

University of Pretoria 2-0 Chippa United
TTM 1-1 Lamontville Golden Arrows (aet; TTM won 7-6 on pens)
Platinum City Rovers 1-1 Sekhukhune United (aet; City Rovers won 3-2 on pens)

2023

SuperSport United 1-2 Dondol Stars