Pirates one win from matching Chiefs’ MTN8 record

Orlando Pirates can draw level with Kaizer Chiefs as the most successful club in MTN8 history when they face Mamelodi Sundowns in the final.

Pirates have won the competition in each of the past four seasons, establishing themselves as the dominant cup side of the 2020s. A victory against Sundowns would give them a fifth successive MTN8 triumph and move them level with their long-standing rivals on 15 titles.

Chiefs remain the record holders, having lifted the competition 15 times since their first success in 1974, when it was known as BP Top 8. However, their failure to win the tournament since the 2014/15 season, under former coach Stuart Baxter, has allowed Pirates to close the gap.

Pirates have claimed five of the past six editions of the MTN8. Their only defeat during that run came in 2021, when Sundowns won the title.

The Buccaneers secured their fourth consecutive crown by beating Stellenbosch in last season’s final, taking their overall total to 14. They now have the opportunity to equal the record held by Amakhosi.

Pirates’ recent sequence has followed a prolonged wait for success in the competition. After winning the cup in consecutive seasons in 2010 and 2011 during their double treble era, they went nine years without lifting the trophy again.

That drought ended in 2020. Since then, Pirates have won the MTN8 in every season apart from 2021, when the trophy went to Sundowns.

The club’s earlier back-to-back successes came in 1972 and 1973, when the tournament was still known as BP Top 8. Their latest run has now put them within one victory of Chiefs’ record.

Chiefs’ recent absence from the competition has also helped Pirates’ pursuit. The Glamour Boys failed to qualify after finishing outside the top eight in successive seasons and only returned to the tournament in the 2026/27 campaign.

Their comeback, however, lasted only one round. Chiefs were eliminated after losing 1-0 to Golden Arrows.

Pirates will therefore go into the final knowing that victory would have significance beyond another trophy. It would complete a fifth consecutive title-winning campaign and bring them level with Chiefs at the top of the MTN8 honours list.

Standing in their way are Sundowns, who have won the competition four times across its various formats and names. Their most recent success came during Pirates’ otherwise dominant recent spell, when they prevented the Buccaneers from completing a clean sweep of the past six editions.