The 18 provincial teams that will face-off in this year’s Engen Champ of Champs at Marks Park in Johannesburg from September 30 to October 2 have been announced.
The Engen Champ of Champs, in partnership with the South African Football Association, will feature nine teams contesting the U18 boys’ and U20 girls’ divisions respectively.
These teams will be made up of the winners of the Engen Knockout Challenge tournaments held in Durban (KZN), Johannesburg (Gauteng) and Cape Town (Western Cape) earlier this year. Six teams representing other provinces were determined by separate play-off matches.
A new national champion is set to be crowned in the boy’s division after last season’s winners, Kaizer Chiefs, failed to defend their Engen Knockout Challenge title in July in the Gauteng competition.
In the girls’ division, the University of Johannesburg will have a shot at defending their national title after fending off stiff competition from their fellow Gauteng teams in the 2023 edition of the knockout challenge.
Engen’s external communications manager Gavin Smith congratulated the teams that have reached the sharp end of this year’s event and said Engen was excited to see South Africa’s top youth teams competing for national bragging rights.
“Congratulations to all 18 teams that have worked hard to progress to the elite stage of the 2023 competition. As Engen, we take pride in providing a platform for talented young footballers to showcase their skills to a wider audience.
“As in previous years, we know that the standard of football on display at the champ of champs will be incredibly high and likely to feature and produce a host of South Africa’s future football superstars,” Smith added.
These are the 18 teams that will battle it to become the country champ of champs in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions for the 2023 Engen Champ of Champs:
- From the Eastern Cape Chippa United FC (boys) and City Lads Ladies FC (girls)
- From the Free State Virginia Sports Academy (boys) and Napoli Ladies FC (girls)
- From Gauteng Mamelodi Sundowns (boys) and the UJ Ladies (girls)
- From KwaZulu-Natal AmaZulu FC (boys) and Durban Ladies (girls)
- From Limpopo Nkowankowa Continental (boys) and Sister FC (girls)
- From Mpumalanga Home Culture Express FC (boys) and Mission Ladies FC (girls)
- From the Northern Cape Amalawu FC (boys) and Richmond United FC (girls)
- From the North West FC Milan (boys) and Mafikeng Ladies FC (girls)
- From the Western Cape Stellenbosch United FC (boys) and Cape Town Roses FC (girls).
Related article:
