Following an underwhelming 2024/2025 season, Kaizer Chiefs are set to kick-start their redemption story with the Toyota Cup ahead of a highly anticipated 2025/2026 campaign, which will begin with challenging Betway Premiership matches against heavyweights Mamelodi Sundowns and Stellenbosch FC.
Amakhosi will give us a glimpse of what to come when they lock horns with Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko in the second edition of the Toyota Cup on Saturday, 25 July at Moses Mabhida Stadium. The match comes days after they unveiled their home and away kit for the upcoming season.
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The Nasreddine Nabi-led team recently concluded its pre-season tour in the Netherlands, where it played five friendly games, producing underwhelming results, including four defeats and one victory.
Nabi got a chance to test his new recruits, including attacker Flavio Da Silva, right-back Thabiso Monyane, who looked solid at the back, Ethan Chislett and Nkanyiso Shinga. Their performances were met with mixed feelings, with fans calling Silva a new version of the recently departed striker Ranga Chivaviro.
Former captain Yusuf Mart departed to join Austrian Football Bundesliga team, SV Ried, while Mduduzi Mdantsane, Edmilson Dove and Sabelo Radebe left as free agents.
Last season’s edition of the Toyota Cup saw Chiefs being demolished by Young Africans of Tanzania, which signalled woes to come as the club ended up finishing ninth on the log with a mere 32 points.
The finish will see them missing out on the MTN8 competition that is starting on the weekend of 2-3 August. Chiefs will have a tough task ahead of them as their first four of five league fixtures are with teams that finished above them on the standings last season.
Let’s dive into their opening five Betway Premiership matches:
Stellenbosch FC vs Kaizer Chiefs | 10 August 2025
Stellies are coming to this match with a score to settle, having been defeated by Chiefs 3-1 in the controversial Nedbank Cup quarterfinal clash. Amakhosi went on to be crowned champions, thus ending a decade-long trophy drought.
Both teams are going to be partaking in this season’s CAF Confederations Cup competition. The home team had an impressive campaign last season, reaching the semi-finals before being eliminated by Simba SC.
Nabi’s side was victorious in all three of their meeting with the Cape Winelands team. It remains to be seen whether or not their winning streak will continue this season. A win in this match would be a good start for Amakhosi in what looks to be a busy season as the club will be returning to continental football.
Kaizer Chiefs vs Polokwane City | 13 August 2025
Rise and Shine gave the Glamour Boys a run for their money, shocking them to a 2-0 loss in their first league meeting and holding them to a goalless draw in the return leg. They have been providing impressive performances despite their limited resources.
City had a good start to the season, spending most of it in the top five positions, but experienced some struggles towards the end of the season, failing to record a victory in all of their last six matches.
Phuti Mohafe will be without Bafana Bafana winger Oswin Appollis, who is now in the books of Orlando Pirates. This didn’t come as a surprise, as Appollis was on the radar of several big teams following his impressive showings at the club and the national team.
Kaizer Chiefs vs Richards Bay | 19 August 2025
The Natal Rich Boyz began their 2024/25 season on a bad note under coach Brandon Truter who was ultimately fired after struggling to secure points, resulting in the club sitting on the relegation zone for the first half of the season.
Bay turned their situation around and overtook Chiefs to steal the last top-eight spot with a point above the Glamour Boys. One of their shocking moments was dominating Chiefs to a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Yanela Mbuthuma and Fezile Gcaba.
Mbuthuma has joined Pirates, and Bay wasted no time in securing veteran striker Gabadinho Mhango as his replacement.
Mamelodi Sundowns vs Kaizer Chiefs | 27 August 2025
Chiefs will face the defending league champions in what is expected to be a tightly-contested fixture. They managed to edge Downs 2-1 on their way to lifting the Nedbank Cup trophy.
Masandawana are known not to easily drop points. they managed to win both of their league clashes against Amakhosi last season. They had a resounding season, reaching the final of the CAF Champions League and participating in the FIFA Club World Cup recently.
Miguel Cardoso’s team is yet to announce any new signings for the upcoming season and recently began their pre-season camp. We are eager to see if he will strengthen his squad as they look to begin their title defence.
Golden Arrows vs Kaizer Chiefs | 30 August 2025
Manqoba Mngqithi’s time at the helm of the Durban-based team did not meet expectations, given his achievements with his former team Sundowns. Arrows secured two victories, experienced four losses and four draws in their last ten games.
Mngqithi led the team to a 12th-place finish with 31 points. They will need to put extra effort into strengthening their defence as they conceded 32 goals and only scored 20.
Chiefs lost both of their league fixtures against Arrows last season, and they are expected to experience a tough time when they clash with Abafana Bes’thende in a crucial part of the season which can make or break the team.
Written by: Siphesihle Soni