Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates will renew their fierce rivalry when the two South African football giants meet in the MTN8 final at the sold-out Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday, October 10.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has confirmed that tickets for the eagerly anticipated final have been completely sold out, underlining the enormous interest surrounding a fixture between two clubs who are also battling near the top of the early Betway Premiership title race.
Kick-off is scheduled for 6pm, with Moses Mabhida — one of the country’s most recognisable sporting landmarks and a 2010 FIFA World Cup venue — preparing for another major football occasion.
The final will also bring back memories of the 2023 MTN8 decider, when the same two sides met at Moses Mabhida. Pirates won that encounter 2-1 on penalties after the match ended 0-0, securing the trophy in front of a huge Durban crowd.
Sundowns hold the recent bragging rights
While Pirates have enjoyed remarkable dominance in the MTN8, having won the competition in each of the past four seasons, Sundowns currently have the upper hand in the most recent meetings between the two clubs.
Their latest encounter came in the Premiership on February 18, 2026, when Sundowns travelled to face Pirates and returned to Pretoria with a 2-1 victory.
That result followed a 1-1 draw between the sides in November 2025. The previous league meeting before that was also particularly memorable, with Sundowns beating Pirates 4-1 in February 2025.
Looking at the recent sequence, Sundowns have therefore avoided defeat in their last three league meetings with Pirates, recording two victories and one draw.
However, the MTN8 is a different story.
Pirates have traditionally enjoyed considerable success against Sundowns in this competition. The PSL’s historical figures show that the clubs have met 14 times in the MTN8, with Pirates holding a narrow advantage of five wins to Sundowns’ four, with five draws. In MTN8 ties specifically, Pirates have won six compared with Sundowns’ four.
That makes the October 10 final another intriguing chapter in a rivalry that has produced some of the country’s biggest domestic football occasions.
For Pirates, the final represents an opportunity to extend their extraordinary run in the MTN8.
The Buccaneers have already won the competition four consecutive times and are now within one victory of becoming five-time successive champions. They reached the 2026 final after dismantling Sekhukhune United 4-0 on aggregate, including a 3-0 victory in the second leg.
Sundowns, meanwhile, had to work considerably harder for their place in the final.
The Brazilians lost the first leg of their semifinal 1-0 to Golden Arrows, before producing a 3-2 victory in the return leg to progress on away goals.
For Sundowns, the final provides an opportunity to add another major domestic trophy and end their relatively long wait for another MTN8 triumph. Their last success in the competition came in 2021, when they beat Cape Town City on penalties.
The sold-out status of the final is hardly surprising given the history of the fixture in Durban.
The 2023 MTN8 final between Pirates and Sundowns at Moses Mabhida also attracted a massive following, while the 2024 MTN8 final at the same stadium was likewise sold out.
The PSL has advised supporters who already have tickets to download their digital tickets before arriving at the stadium. Screenshots and printed tickets will not be accepted, and no tickets will be sold at the stadium.
With the two clubs separated by fine margins on the domestic football landscape, their MTN8 showdown promises to be more than just another cup final.
It is a contest between Pirates’ MTN8 dominance and Sundowns’ recent head-to-head advantage, with the sold-out Moses Mabhida Stadium providing the stage for another chapter in one of South African football’s biggest rivalries.