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GOAL's_202526_season_prediction GFXGOAL

GOAL's 2025/26 season predictions for Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and the rest of the PSL teams as revealed by our Crystal Ball

As is traditional for all media at the start of the season, it is time for GOAL to put its proverbial money where its mouth is and publish our predictions for the forthcoming season.

It is not often we tell readers to stop reading our content, but this is one of those rare occasions. Judging from our predictions last year, we know exactly what is about to happen, and we don't want to spoil that season-long rollercoaster of joy and despair for PSL fans.

Read on ONLY if you are absolutely sure you want to gaze deeply into our crystal ball and see the future before you...

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  • Sports Minister Gayton McKenzieBackpagepix

    WHAT WILL THE MOST EXCITING STORYLINE BE?

    As we elbowed each other out of the way and gazed into the sphere, we each saw a different future before us. For our Managing Editor, he saw a world where Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie got increasingly agitated as Siwelele FC plummeted like a stone down the PSL log. Others had a much more mundane version of excitement with Chiefs CAF Confederation Cup adventures, Gavin Hunt's resurrection at Durban City and how Abdeslam Ouaddou adapts at Pirates, having various GOAL staffers enraptured.

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  • Flavio Silva, Kaizer ChiefsKaizer Chiefs

    UNPOPULAR OPINIONS

    Three futures were revealed, which will be very unpopular with every Sundowns, Chiefs, and Pirates fans out there.

    Both Celine and Sandile saw Miguel Cardoso failing to take The Brazilians up a level, with the latter seeing the Portuguese coach leaving Chloorkop before the end of the season.

    Chiefs new striker, Flavio Silva, was in the firing line next, with many seeing a future full of flops rather than goals. Kiplagat went even further and claimed he saw a future where no Amakhosi player got into double figures for goals by the time May 2026 rolled round.

    And finally, to Pirates, where Thabang saw comparisons with The Bucs signing spree to how Sir Alex Ferguson refreshed his squads and saw a future where buying 11 plus players is actually bad for a squad's ability to win things.

  • Calvin Le John, Siwelele FCSiwelele FC

    SURPRISE PACKAGE (TEAM)

    Several members of the team clearly gazed into the future together as they all nominated Siwelele FC as the surprise package next season. Some combination of myth, romance and a ready-made fan base seems to have made the crystal ball forget Bloem's newest idols have an inherited squad that was almost relegated last season and will be playing their home games in a different city from where all the myth and romance reside.

    Other notable mentions went to Durban City (smart signings and Gavin Hunt at the helm) and Richards Bay (Rich Boyz be rich, yo).

  • Brandon Petersen, Dillan Solomon and Zitha Kwinika, Kaizer ChiefsBackpage

    SURPRISE PACKAGE (PLAYER)

    One optimistic Chiefs fan claimed they saw Flavio Silva banging in goals for fun, but the rest of us saw very different players taking local football by (surprise) storm.

    Thabiso Monyane was spotted, not only proving his doubters wrong at Chiefs, but doing enough to force his way into Hugo Broos' 2025 AFCON squad.

    There was also a lone sighting of Brandon Petersen turning his fortunes around between the sticks as Chiefs' defence finally tightened up.

  • Relebohile Mofokeng, Orlando Pirates, May 2025Backpage

    WILL RELE MOFOKENG STAY OR GO?

    It was almost unequivocal... the talented youngster must go and prove himself in Europe as he has nothing left to learn in Mzansi. Also, as a bonus for this prediction, it would make his dad a very happy man.

    But leaving aside what we saw looking deep into the Orbuculum (fancy way of saying crystal ball - Editor), there's the small matter of would Pirates be risking their prized asset in pre-season if a European team had shown serious interest in acquiring the 20-year-old?

  • Nasreddine Nabi, Kaizer ChiefsKaizer Chiefs

    WILL KAIZER CHIEFS BE ANY GOOD?

    Our fortune-telling ball seemed to show the future strictly according to the viewer's club allegiance, which is worryingly biased when you want to nail your predictions with 100% accuracy.

    The poor, deluded Chiefs fans saw an incredibly rosy future filled with goals, victories and silverware, while the rest of us saw... the same old goal-shy, porous defence, nowhere near Top 4 material we saw last season.

    Only time will tell, we suppose, but even the Chiefs fans amongst us believe they need another proven goal scorer for their wonderful visions of a triumphant future to come true.

  • Oswin Appollis Polokwane CityBackpagepix

    WHO IS GOING DOWN?

    The future is clear: the newly promoted sides, Orbit College and Durban City, are going to struggle to avoid the straight-back-down trap of the top tier.

    Somebody, who shall remain nameless, claimed they saw Polokwane City dropping out of the league after losing their most influential players, Oswin Appollis and Manuel Sapunga, but we're not sure if that was genuine or whether they had accidentally put ayahuasca in their coffee.

  • Miguel Cardoso, Ronwen Williams and Khuliso Mudau, Mamelodi Sundowns Backpage

    WHO WILL WIN THE LEAGUE?

    At last, we get to the most important prediction of them all!

    The overwhelming majority all saw the future the same way and for the same reason: Mamelodi Sundowns are too good, too strong and too rich.

    There were a couple of foggy sightings in the crystal ball of Orlando Pirates lofting the trophy, but the sightings weren't clear enough to conclusively say whether it was the PSL trophy, or one of the domestic cups.

    In terms of the rest of the top four it wasn't a case of gazing into the future as it was re-living the past as Stellenbosch and Sekhukhune are most likely to fill third and fourth again.