New champions were crowned as the 2025 Pirates Cup came to a thrilling end at Marks Park on Monday, with Lerumo Lions walking away with the Men’s Under-21 title while Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies took home the Women’s trophy.
A solitary strike from Lumka Qhekeka proved decisive in handing Sundowns Ladies a maiden triumph in the competition as they defeated 2023 runners-up University of Johannesburg Ladies 1-0 in a hotly contested final. A similar scoreline also decided the destination of the men’s trophy, with an early goal from Bongani Mpini handing Lions victory over tournament hosts Orlando Pirates.
Both finals were fitting show-stoppers to a long weekend consisting of exciting football action, which kicked off with 64 hopefuls from around South Africa and beyond. Only two emerged with the grand prize from each category, with the Ladies from Tshwane following in the footsteps of inaugural champions Tuks Ladies and 2024 winners JVW.
Having secured their spot in the knockouts on the opening day, Banyana Ba Style returned on Monday for their semifinal clash against Wits Ladies. It ended 1-0 in favour of the team from Tshwane, setting up a clash against UJ Ladies who played to a goalless draw against the defending champions in their semifinal, which was decided through a shootout.
This meant a final between two sides who had fallen just short of glory in the competition’s previous editions, with the 2024 runners-up prevailing in the end to be named champions while also claiming the grand prize of R50 000.
Third place went to Wits Ladies after they defeated JVW on penalties in their playoff. It was, however, not all disappointment for the former champs as they had reason to celebrate their star forward, Bonolo Mokoma walked off with the top individual awards, winning the women’s Golden Boot for her seven goals while also being named the tournament’s MVP.
Meanwhile, the semifinals also proved to be the end of the road for last year’s men’s champions after the Buccaneers eliminated UJ in a close encounter decided on penalties after neither side could find the breakthrough in regulation time. It was a similar story in the parallel fixture between Leruma Lions and Wits, with the team from the North West prevailing in the shootout to set up their final against the Soweto Giants.
Mpini’s strike from close range handed Lions an early lead which they clung onto to thwart the tournament hosts’ attempts at claiming their first Pirates Cup title since 2018.
Midfielder Lucky Malatsi took home the MVP accolade for inspiring his side to victory with eye-catching displays at the centre of the pitch, while Emalahleni United’s Alfred Kwanele was the men’s Golden Boot winner with five goals.
Wits meanwhile emulated their ladies team in finishing third in the tournament, beating UJ to a podium finish.
