WeeklySA_AdminPRESSURE: With only one fixture left before the halfway point of the 2025/26 season, Championship boiling over with surprises and shifting fortunes — from Milford FC’s wobble at the top to a fierce relegation scrap at the bottom…
By Masoja Cele
With 16 teams battling for the Championship crown, anticipation is building as the Motsepe Foundation Championship edges toward the halfway mark of the 2025/26 season — with just one match left before the mid-season break.
League leaders Milford FC suffered a shock setback last Saturday when they lost 2–0 to struggling Midlands Wanderers in a tense KwaZulu-Natal derby. Despite the defeat, Milford remain at the summit with 27 points.
Owner-coach Dr Xanti Pupuma has transformed the Stallions into genuine promotion contenders after seizing top spot from early pace-setters Casric Stars.
Second-placed Casric Stars have faltered in recent weeks, losing crucial matches that could have returned them to the top. The Mpumalanga club went down 3–2 away to Kruger United and 2–0 to The Bees in Nelspruit, before bouncing back with a resounding 4–0 demolition of Leicesterford City. After two near misses in their previous promotion bids, Stars will hope this third attempt finally takes them over the line — if they can keep touching distance from Milford.
Another ambitious challenger, Kruger United, continues to battle relentlessly to stay within reach of the leaders. The Village Boys have been in excellent form, beating Casric Stars 3–2 at home and overpowering a rejuvenated Venda FC 3–1 away. Kruger are tied on 25 points with Casric after 14 matches but sit third due to an inferior goal difference.
At the other end of the table, Midlands Wanderers have had a turbulent start to the campaign. With just 12 points from 15 matches, they sit two points above bottom-placed Black Leopards.
Relegation looms unless Abafana Bebatha — promoted only last season — can find consistency and avoid becoming one of the league’s worst performers.
Baroka FC find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Despite their strong Premiership pedigree, Bakgakga Ba Mphahlele remain locked in a relegation battle after a poor start. October saw the departure of long-serving coach Dan Malesela, replaced by former University of Pretoria mentor Tlisane Motaung.
However, results remain elusive, raising questions about whether further changes may be looming. Baroka are currently second from bottom with 11 points from 14 matches.
Meanwhile, Black Leopards continue to struggle, rooted at the bottom with 10 points from 14 games.
Lidoda Duvha recently appointed Mabhuti Khenyeza as head coach, hoping he can turn around the fortunes of the Limpopo outfit. But Leopards must improve drastically in the second half of the season, when the battle for promotion intensifies at the top and the fight for survival grows more desperate at the bottom.
With the Africa Cup of Nations kicking off next week, Championship action will pause and resume on the weekend of January 23-24 next year.
