PIC:  TS Galaxy have been fantastic travellers in the Nedbank Cup

The Nedbank Cup Last 16 is set to thrill next week and to whet the appetite we bring you quick facts on the teams confirmed for the second round.

AMAZULU

AmaZulu have been to six finals in the Nedbank Cup competition but lost every one, They have yet to lift this trophy. Their last final was in 2010 when they lost 3-0 to BidVest Wits, though the game was closer than the scoreline suggests. Usuthu are without a trophy of any sort since 1992.  

BAROKA FC
Baroka remain the only third-tier side to reach the Nedbank Cup semi-finals, and therefore the only team to reach the Last 4 as a third, second and first-tier club. They have made the quarter-finals at least in five of their previous nine appearances, a very good record considering they were a topflight team for only a portion of that time. Something about the Nedbank Cup brings out the best in them. 

CAPE TOWN SPURS
Spurs were beaten finalists in 2015 but generally have disappointed in this competition, reaching the quarter-finals only twice in their past 15 appearances. They have one semifinal showing, three exits in the Last 16 and were knocked out at the first stage 10 times. Given for many of those years they were a top team, that is a record that is hard to explain. 

CHIPPA UNITED

Chippa were beaten finalists in 2021 when they lost 1-0 to TTM (now Marumo Gallants) in the final. They have been to the quarterfinals at least in five of the last eight seasons, and have reached the semifinals four times in that period, including last year. They have been one of the most consistent teams in terms of reaching the latter stages of the Nedbank Cup.

DURBAN CITY
Second-tier Durban City, rebranded from Maritzburg United at the start of this season, are seeking a first Nedbank Cup quarter-final since they were runners-up in the competition in 2018. They have reached the quarters five times before, but four of those occasions were between 2009 and 2014. They have not been able to match that consistency since.       

KAZIER CHIEFS
Chiefs advanced past the Last 32 for only the second time in five seasons, though when they last did in 2023, they made the semifinals. They are at home to Chippa United in the next stage, but have advanced only twice from their last six Nedbank Cup home ties and have found success difficult on their own ground.  

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS

Sundowns have won 74% of their Nedbank Cup matches since 2008, with 45 victories in 61 games. Both of those are a record, as is the fact they have scored 140 goals (average of 2.30 per game). They have 11 defeats and five draws, with a 2-2 record in post-match penalties. 

MARUMO GALLANTS

Gallants have a 50% record in the Last 16, but when they have got past this stage, they have gone on to reach the final! They were winners (as TTM) in 2021 and losing finalists the following year. They have only lost one of seven home Nedbank Cup ties (W4 D2). 

MPHENI HOME DEFENDERS
Mpheni Home Defenders having a 1-% record in reaching the Last 16 having also managed it on debut in 2023. On that occasion they were edged 2-0 away at Chippa United, so ran the topflight team close, but this time round meet mighty Mamelodi Sundowns. It goes without saying this is the biggest game in the club’s history. 

ORLANDO PIRATES

Defending champions Orlando Pirates have won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024, and are seeking an unprecedented third win in a row this campaign. Their coach, Jose Riveiro, is unbeaten in 11 Nedbank Cup fixtures (W10 D1) and overall the team have scored 108 goals in 51 games since 2008, an average of 2.12 per match.

POLOKWANE CITY

Polokwane City are in their 13^th season in the Nedbank Cup and have been last the Last 16 twice. They reached the quarterfinals in 2013 and  2016, but did not advance further from there. They are at Stellenbosch this time round and have really struggled away from home, with two wins in 10 ties in all rounds, at minnows Island FC (7-2) in 2013 and Platinum Stars in 2016. Though both those victories were in the Last 16. 

SEKHUKHUNE UNITED

Sekhukhune United’s biggest win ever as a club came in the Nedbank Cup when they defeated fourth-tier Liver Brothers from Mpumalanga 6-0 in 2023 on their way to the final, where they lost to Orlando Pirates. They will be away to either Royal AM or Milford FC in the Last 16, and have a single outright win in five (D3 L1) away matches in the competition, which was in their very first at Maritzburg United in 2021.   

STELLENBOSCH FC

Stellenbosch have reached the semifinals of the Nedbank Cup in the previous two seasons but have been unable to take that final step. It means they have a single defeat in their last nine games (W6 D2) in the competition after losing the 2023 semis on penalties to Sekhukhune United. Twelve of their 15 Nedbank Cup ties in their history have been home games, and they will be on their own patch again when they host Polokwane City in the Last 16.     

SUPERSPORT UNITED

Since SuperSport United claimed back-to-back wins in the 2016 and 2017 Nedbank Cups, they have exited in the Last 32 on five occasions and the quarter-finals in the other two. In fact, in their 17 previous appearances in the Nedbank Cup since 2008, they have only gone out in the Last 16 once, a 1-0 loss at Free State Stars in 2011.

TS GALAXY

TS Galaxy famously won the Nedbank Cup as a second-tier side in 2019, beating Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in the final. But since then they have been past the Last 16 just once, when they defeated third-tier D’General 3-0 in 2024, but then lost to Chippa United in the quarter-finals. They have only lost one of their eight Nedbank Cup away matches in their history (W7) and travel to Durban City in the Last 16 this year. That is a remarkable statistic given they have generally been poor travellers in the league. When they lifted the trophy in 2019, all their five matches were played away from home.