Face-off: The opening round will kick-off in March
The big guns in the Premier Soccer League ( PSL), Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, will lock horns in the first round of the 2016 Nedbank Cup.
THE big guns in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, will lock horns in the first round of the 2016 Nedbank Cup.
The draw for the 32 teams and the official Nedbank Cup launch took place on Thursday, January 28.
The draw saw the 32 clubs, which comprised of 16 PSL, eight National First Division clubs and eight South African Football Association (SAFA) clubs, paired to the 16 fixtures. The opening round will kick-off in March.
The total prize money will be a whopping R7-million and the winning team will gain entry to compete in Africa’s grandest football stages through the CAF Confederations Cup.
Dubbed as Mzansi’s FA Cup, the tournament is one of Africa’s most lucrative cup competitions with a prize pool of more than R20-million. Now in its ninth edition, the Nedbank Cup will continue to enable teams, players, aspiring footballers, the bank’s clients and communities to make the things that really matter happen.
“Football is a lot like managing your finances. You must have a goal, be committed, work hard to attain it, and find the right team to enable you to realize that goal. This is why we continue to sponsor this competition. It gives us the perfect opportunity to connect with clients and the communities we serve, and demonstrate how we can enable them to make the things that really matter happen,” said Tobie Badenhorst, head of sponsorship and cause marketing at Nedbank.
The competition starts at the beginning of March in line with the first round of Nedbank Cup matches ending in September. This will also coinciding with the electrifying finale of the Nedbank Ke Yona team selection. The Nedbank Ke Yoan team will then take on the 2016 Nedbank Cup champions.
Defending champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, will have to travel to Highlands Park FC club grounds in defence of their title. Apart from the two Southern giants, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates who will face each other in the first rounds. Other sides from the South, Jomo Cosmos and Moroka Swallows, will have a face-off with Amazulu FC and SuperSport United respectively.
