We look at the permutations in the relegation battle going into the final day of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership on Saturday.
While all eyes will be on Orlando Pirates to see if they will end Mamelodi Sundowns’ dominance and win the league title, four teams at the bottom will be fighting to stay in the Betway Premiership for next season.
Magesi FC, ORBIT College, Marumo Gallants and Chippa United will be fighting desperately to escape automatic relegation (16th place) and the dreaded promotion/relegation playoffs (15th place).
The team finishing 16th gets automatically relegated, while the 15th-placed team heads to the playoffs.
We look at the permutations in the relegation battle going into the final day of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership on Saturday:
Bottom-placed Magesi FC (21 points) are in severe danger as they head into their final game against Richards Bay FC at Seshego Stadium facing massive pressure as they fight to escape the dreaded automatic drop. Dikwena tsa Meetse will be relegated to the Motsepe Foundation Championship if they fail to get maximum points against the Natal Rich Boyz. But even a victory in this encounter will not guarantee them safety as they will need ORBIT and Gallants to lose by big score margins in order to survive the axe.
15th-placed ORBIT College (24 points) will be relegated should they lose by four goals or more in their final fixture against Orlando Pirates at the Mbombela Stadium, Magesi win and Gallants avoid defeat. The Mswenko Boys, however, can avoid relegation and the playoffs altogether with a win against Pirates and Gallants lose their game against Stellenbosch FC.
14th-placed Marumo Gallants (24 points) will avoid relegation and the playoffs should they beat Stellies at home at the Dr Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein. A draw will also be enough for Bahlabane Ba Ntwa if ORBIT fail to beat Pirates.
Even though they have avoided automatic relegation, 13th-placed Chippa United (25 points), are not out of the woods yet because wins for ORBIT and Gallants will drag them into the playoffs if they lose against Kaizer Chiefs at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The team that finishes 15th on the log table will enter a tense, round-robin mini-league alongside Cape Town City and Milford FC (who qualified via the Motsepe Foundation Championship).
The playoffs are scheduled to run from 26 May to 13 June, beginning with a clash between Cape Town City and Milford FC.
The team that tops this playoff table will secure or retain their Premiership status.
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