Orlando Pirates target back-to-back Betway Premiership titles after flying start

Orlando Pirates have strengthened their case for joining the elite group of clubs to win consecutive PSL titles after extending their winning run to five matches in all competitions.

The Buccaneers’ latest sequence has produced 13 goals and only one concession, underlining their early-season form as they attempt to defend the Betway Premiership crown they won last season.

Pirates have beaten Kaizer Chiefs 2-1, defeated TS Galaxy 3-0 and recorded two victories over African Stars – a 4-0 home win followed by a 1-0 success away from home. They also overcame Milford FC 3-0.

That run gives them a 100% record over their past five games, including four clean sheets and no defeats. It has lifted them to second in the 2026/27 Betway Premiership table, with 25 points from nine matches.

Pirates have won eight of those games and drawn one, scoring 21 goals and conceding only two throughout the season.

Mamelodi Sundowns remain just above them, however, with 26 points from 10 matches. The defending champions are also unbeaten, having won eight games and drawn two.

The one-point gap sets up a potentially prolonged contest between the leading sides. Sundowns will be determined to regain the trophy after Pirates ended their unprecedented eight-year reign last season.

If Pirates retain the title, they will become only the fifth club to win back-to-back PSL championships since the competition began in 1996/97.

Mamelodi Sundowns have achieved the feat three times. Their most recent success was a record eight successive titles between 2017/18 and 2024/25, while they also won three in a row from 1997/98 to 1999/2000 and consecutive championships in 2005/06 and 2006/07.

SuperSport United won three successive titles under Gavin Hunt between 2007/08 and 2009/10, while Kaizer Chiefs secured consecutive championships in 2003/04 and 2004/05.

Pirates have previously won back-to-back league titles, taking the 2010/11 and 2011/12 campaigns under Ruud Krol and Augusto Palacios respectively. They finished the latter season with 58 points, two ahead of Moroka Swallows after a dramatic finale.

Their current challenge is built on the platform of last season’s closely fought title race. Pirates finished on 69 points, one more than Sundowns’ 68, with a goal difference of plus-19 compared with Sundowns’ plus-18.

Pirates also have a match in hand, leaving them well placed as they seek to establish another period of dominance. Sundowns, meanwhile, will aim to stop them and restore their position at the top of South African football.