TAB WEEKEND SOCCER HIGHLIGHTS: 31 JULY – 2 AUGUST 2026

Soccer

BIG ACTION, BIG MONEY ON BUMPER WEEKEND

Here comes a bumper weekend for TAB soccer customers! The Betway Premiership gets the 2026-27 football season in South Africa off to an early start with 14 of the 16 teams playing this Saturday and Sunday – and there’s money to match the action with two carryover Soccer 10 pools, cash-added Soccer 6 and Any 13 Xtra bets and a guaranteed R17 million pot if there’s only one outright winner of Saturday’s Soccer 13.

PIRATES AND CHIEFS PITTED AGAINST THE ROOKIES

Marumo Gallants and Mamelodi Sundowns are the only teams not in action on the opening weekend. That match has been postponed with Sundowns allowed more time to prepare after their pre-season was delayed by the tragic death of Jayden Adams.

Both reigning champions Orlando Pirates and arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs, who finished third on the log last season, play tomorrow and both take on teams new to the Betway Premiership this season.

Richards Bay-based Milford FC finished third in the Motsepe Foundation Championship last season, but won promotion to the PSL in the playoffs. Owner Dr Xanti Pupuma, a qualified gynaecologist, is also the club’s head coach.

Milford couldn’t have asked for a more difficult PSL opener than a trip to the Orlando Amstel Arena to take on Pirates, whose league triumph completed a domestic treble that also included the MTN8 and the Carling Black Label Knockout.

Pirates will have to cope without PSL Footballer of the Season Relebohile Mofokeng, who has moved to Belgium’s Royal Union St Gilloise, but they have several fresh faces, including Zambian forward Gamphani Lungu and Norwegian striker Sebastian Pedersen.

Chiefs travel to Nelspruit to take on Kruger United at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday night.

Kruger won the Championship last season, finishing eight points clear of second-placed Cape Town City, and the Mpumalanga outfit have strengthened ahead of the new season. Chiefs have a new head coach in Frenchman Fernando da Cruz and have made several new signings, but whether that translates into significant improvement remains to be seen. That said they should have enough to beat Kruger United.

Stellenbosch have had a major clean out of players and start as virtually a new team when they meet AmaZulu on Saturday. It was supposed to be a home game but because no venues are available in the Western Cape this weekend, Stellenbosch are forced to host the game in AmaZulu’s backyard, at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Claremont. AmaZulu were fourth last season and should get their season off to a winning start.

Banker bets for tonight’s R200,000 carryover Soccer 10 are home wins for New York City and Bodo/Glimt.

For Saturday’s R200,000 carryover Soccer 10 count on wins by Pirates and AmaZulu and you can also banker both of them to win in the R75,000-added Soccer 6.

MATCH PREVIEWS FOR R200,000 CARRYOVER SOCCER 10 POOLS

Fri 31 Jul – S10 V1

M1 Club Brugge vs Union Saint-Gilloise: R200,000 carryover pool. Brugge have won seven of last 10 games and beat Union 5-0 in May. Union are on a five-game winning streak and in the last 15 meetings between them, each has won five times.

M2 Athlone Town vs UC Dublin: UCD third in Irish Division 1 with 39 points, 12 ahead of Athlone in eighth. UCD won last meeting 1-0 and lead head-to-head tally between the two with nine wins to Athlone’s three.

M3 Bray Wanderers vs Kerry FC: Bray are on a five-game winning run and are second on the log with 40 points, 11 ahead of seventh-placed Kerry. Last meeting ended 2-2 but Bray had won 11 of 13 previous meetings.

M4 Cobh Ramblers vs Wexford FC: Ramblers have lost four league games in a row, whereas Wexford have a win and three draws from last five. The two are level on 31 points apiece in the table.

M5 Sporting CP vs Nottingham Forest: Friendly game. Sporting are on a three-game winning streak and Forest have won six of last 10 matches. Both won friendlies last time out.

M6 Treaty United vs Longford Town: Treaty have won three of last four games and Longford five of last eight. Longford are fifth with 31 points, five ahead of Treaty in ninth, and won the last clash between them 3-1 in May.

M7 Bodo/Glimt vs Lillestrom: Norwegian Eliteserien leaders Glimt are unbeaten in last 10 ten games and are 10 points clear of Lillestrøm, who have lost six of last 10.

M8 Drogheda United vs Shamrock Rovers: Drogheda unbeaten in last three games and Rovers have won six of their last nine. Rovers lead Irish Premier League table and are 24 points ahead of Drogheda. Rovers won last meeting 4-1, their ninth victory in the last 15 meetings between the two.

M9 Dundee United vs Rangers FC: Scottish Premiership opening game 2026-27. Rangers unbeaten in last three games, while Dundee have won three of last five. Rangers have won 10 of the last 15 clashes with Dundee with four draws.

M10 New York City vs Toronto FC: NYC on two-game winning streak in the MLS and Toronto winless in last 10 games. NYC won last meeting 3-1, their ninth success in last 15 meetings between the two, and are nine points ahead of Toronto on the log.

Sat 1 Aug – S10 V2

M1 Orlando Pirates vs Milford: First round of matches in the 2025-26 Betway Premiership and there’s a R200,000 carryover to fuel betting. Reigning champs Pirates have played several friendlies recently in preparation for the new term and take on newly promoted Milford.

M2 Golden Arrows vs Chippa United: Arrows, sixth on the log last season, take on Chippa who finished 13 points behind them. Arrows won last meeting 2-0 away in May. Arrows lost recent friendly, Chippa have not played since May.

M3 Stellenbosch vs AmaZulu: Stellenbosch unbeaten in last three games; AmaZulu have avoided defeat in eight of last 10. Stellenbosch have beaten AmaZulu seven times in last 15 meetings with four draws.

M4 Manchester United vs Atletico Madrid: Friendly encounter. United have had two warm-up games while this will be Atletico’s first game since last season. Atletico have won two of the last three games between them with one drawn.

M5 Falkirk vs St. Mirren: Opening round of new Scottish Premiership season. Falkirk unbeaten in last three games and St. Mirren have won five of last seven. St. Mirren won last meeting 2-1 away in March, but that was only their third success to Falkirk’s eight.

M6 Greenock Morton vs Partick Thistle: Morton winless in last 10 games and Thistle unbeaten in last seven. Thistle won last meeting 2-1 away, their seventh wins in 15 meetings over four years with six draws.

M7 Peterhead vs Ross County: Ross County unbeaten in nine games and Peterhead have won four of last seven. Ross County have won three of last five meetings to Peterhead’s one.

M8 Tranmere Rovers vs Rochdale: Tranmere have lost six of last 10 League Two games and Rochdale have failed to win in last three friendlies.

M9 Sekhukhune United vs Durban City: Sekhukhune unbeaten in last four games and City winless in last four PSL matches. Last meeting between them ended 1-1 in March.

M10 Kruger United vs Kaizer Chiefs: Newly-promoted Kruger unbeaten in last eight second division games but now find themselves in the PSL and pitted against Chiefs, who finished third on the log last season.