{"id":83240,"date":"2025-10-08T17:08:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T15:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=83240"},"modified":"2025-10-08T17:08:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T15:08:51","slug":"the-countdown-to-the-engen-champ-of-champs-is-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=83240","title":{"rendered":"The countdown to the Engen Champ of Champs is on"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From left to right, Brighton Mhlongo (Engen Sports Ambassador), Katleho Malebana (Engen Alumni and Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies First Team Player), Rebecca Murudi, Tsholo Tiro (Engen Brand and Sponsorship Manager), Thabo Senong (Engen Sports Ambassador), and Gopolang Taunyana (Engen Alumni and Kaizer Chiefs Youth Development Player). Photo: Engen Sports on Facebook.<\/strong><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Engen Champ of Champs <\/strong>media draw was conducted live by SuperSport Schools<\/strong><\/a> on Tuesday at the University of Pretoria High Performance Centre (HPC)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The tournament, which brings together the men’s and women’s provincial champion teams from across South Africa, takes place at the same venue, from Friday, 10 October, to Sunday, 12 October.<\/p>\n

Some notable alumni of the Engen Cup were also in attendance, including 16-year-old Katleho Malebana<\/strong>, who currently plays for the Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies<\/strong> first team. She was joined by Gopolang Taunyana<\/strong>, from the Kaizer Chiefs Youth Development<\/strong> programme, who was part of the u20 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) winning Amajita team<\/strong><\/a> earlier this year<\/p>\n

Both shared their experiences and memorable moments from their participation in the Engen Champ of Champs.<\/p>\n

They were joined by Engen Sports Ambassadors<\/strong>, former Orlando Pirates<\/strong>‘ goalkeeper Brighton Mhlongo<\/strong> and former Amajita coach Thabo Senong<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Before a ball is kicked, one thing is certain, and that is that new national champions will be crowned in both the u18 boys’ and u20 girls’ competitions. Last season’s winners, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns<\/strong><\/a>, failed to advance from the Gauteng Engen Knockout Challenge.<\/p>\n

Chiefs came close to making the national final again, but they were upset by Panorama FC, who scored a come-from-behind 2-1<\/strong> win<\/strong><\/a> to lay claim to the Gauteng honours at Marks Park in July.<\/p>\n

Despite winning both the Gauteng Engen Knockout Challenge and the Champ of Champs in 2024, the Mamelodi Sundowns ladies’ team missed out on the final of this year’s regional competition, which featured the University of Johannesburg (UJ)<\/strong> versus JVW FC<\/strong>, with UJ winning 1-0 to earn the right to the province at the Engen Champ of Champs.<\/p>\n

UJ, after their win in the Gauteng tournament, will be viewed as one of the favourites. They’ve been drawn in Group B, where they will face Cape Town Roses, Mafikeng Ladies<\/strong>, and City Lads Ladies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

City Lads Ladies were crowned champions<\/strong><\/a> of the girls’ competition in the Engen Knockout Challenge Eastern Cape, at Dale College<\/strong> in Qonce, at the end of August.<\/p>\n

UJ will be without a key player for their title challenge, with Adrielle Mibe<\/strong>, who was named both the Player of the Tournament<\/strong> and the Midfielder of the Tournament<\/strong> during the Engen Knockout Challenge Gauteng, currently playing in the United States, where she represents the University of Arizona<\/strong>. Nonetheless, UJ remains a formidable contender.<\/p>\n

Group A is made up of Durban Ladies, Sisters FC, EastHigh Girls Academy, Royal Wizards,<\/strong> and Ixias Ladies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In the boys’ division, the Gauteng representatives, Panorama, will take on Junior Birds<\/strong>, Postmasburg FC<\/strong>, and Bakgaga United <\/strong>in Group A.<\/p>\n

On paper, Panorama appears to be a strong contender to move on to the knockout stages. However, their recent performances in the Gauteng Development League (GDL)<\/strong> have been less than convincing, and last weekend they suffered a 0-1 defeat to Randburg AFC<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

While their form has been patchy, it is important to note that tournament football differs from league play, and that may serve the Roodepoort-based club well.<\/p>\n

In Group B, Chippa United<\/strong>, the Eastern Cape champions, take on Cape Town City, Potch Academy<\/strong>, the North West winners, and KZN’s champions, the Kusekhaya Football Academy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

GROUPS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Boys’ Competition\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Group A<\/strong><\/p>\n

EastHigh Boys Academy, Panorama, Junior Birds, Portsmasburg, Bagkaga United<\/p>\n

Group B<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cape Town City, Potchefstroom Academy, Kusekhaya Football Academy, Chippa United<\/p>\n

Girls’ Competition<\/strong><\/p>\n

Group A<\/strong><\/p>\n

Royal Wizards, Durban Ladies, EastHigh Girls Academy, Ixias Ladies, Sisters<\/p>\n

Group B<\/strong><\/p>\n

City Lads Ladies, University of Johannesburg, Cape Town Roses, Mafikeng Ladies<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

FIXTURES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Day 1, Friday, 10 October<\/strong><\/p>\n

Boys’ Competition<\/strong><\/p>\n

09:00 – EastHigh Boys Academy vs Junior Birds, Field C
\n09:00 – Postmasburg vs Panorama, Field F<\/p>\n

10:30 –\u00a0Cape Town City vs Kusekhaya Football Academy, Field A
\n10:30 – Chippa United vs Potch Academy, Field B<\/p>\n

12:00 – Bakgaka United vs EastHigh Boys Academy Field F
\n12:00 – Postmasburg vs Junior Birds, Field B<\/p>\n

13:30 – Opening Ceremony<\/p>\n

15:00 –\u00a0Panorama vs Bagkaka United, Field B<\/p>\n

Girls’ Competition<\/strong><\/p>\n

09:00 – Royal Wizards vs Sisters FC, Field A
\n<\/span>09:00 <\/span>EastHigh<\/span> Girls Academy, vs Durban Ladies, Field B<\/span><\/p>\n

10:30 – City Lads Ladies vs Cape Town Roses, Field C
\n10:30 – Mafikeng Ladies vs UJ, Field F<\/span><\/p>\n

12:00 – Ixias Ladies vs Royal Wizards, Field C
\n12:00 – EastHigh<\/span> Girls Academy vs Sisters FC, Field F<\/span><\/p>\n

13:30 – Opening Ceremony<\/p>\n

15:00 – Durban Ladies vs Ixias Ladies, Field A<\/p>\n

Day 2, Saturday 11 October<\/strong><\/p>\n

Boys’ Competition<\/strong><\/p>\n

09:00 – Bakgaka United vs Junior Birds, Field A
\n09:00 – Postmasburg FC vs EastHigh Boys Academy, Field B<\/p>\n

10:30 – <\/b>Potch Academy vs Cape Town City, Field A
\n10:30 –\u00a0Kusekhaya Football Academy vs Chippa United, Field B<\/p>\n

12:00 – Panorama vs Junior Birds, Field C
\n12:00 –\u00a0Postmasburg vs Bakgaka United, Field F<\/p>\n

13:30 – Cape Town City vs Chippa United, Field C
\n13:30 – Kusekhaya Football Academy vs Potch Academy,\u00a0Field F<\/p>\n

15:00 – EastHigh Boys Academy vs Panorama,\u00a0Field A<\/p>\n

Girls’ Competition<\/strong><\/p>\n

09:00 – Ixias Ladies vs Sisters FC,\u00a0Field C
\n09:00 –\u00a0EastHigh Girls Academy vs Royal Wizards, Field F<\/p>\n

10:30 – UJ vs City Lads Ladies,\u00a0Field C
\n10:30 – Cape Town Roses vs Mafikeng Ladies,\u00a0Field F<\/p>\n

12:00 – Durban Ladies vs Sisters FC, Field A
\n12:00 – EastHigh Girls Academy vs Ixias Ladies, Field B<\/p>\n

13:30 – City Lads Ladies vs Mafikeng Ladies,\u00a0Field A
\n13:30 –\u00a0Cape Town Roses vs UJ, Field B<\/p>\n

15:00 – <\/b>Royal Wizards vs Durban Ladies, Field B<\/p>\n

Day 3, Sunday, 12 October<\/strong><\/p>\n

Boys’ Semifinals<\/strong><\/p>\n

08:30 –\u00a0Match 17, Winner A vs Runner-up B,\u00a0Field C
\n08:30 – Match 18, Winner B vs Runner-up A, Field F<\/p>\n

Girls’ Semifinals<\/strong><\/p>\n

08:30 – Match 17, Winner A vs Runner-up B,\u00a0Field A
\n08:30 – Match 18, Winner B vs Runner-up A, Field B<\/p>\n

3rd\/4th Playoffs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Boys 10:30 – Match 19, Loser M17 vs Loser Match 18,\u00a0Field F<\/p>\n

Girls<\/strong><\/p>\n

10:30 – Match 19, Loser L17 vs Loser L18,\u00a0Field C<\/p>\n

Finals<\/strong><\/p>\n

Girls<\/strong><\/p>\n

10:30 –\u00a0Winner 17 vs Winner 18, Tuks Stadium<\/p>\n

Boys
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

11:30 – Winner Match 17 vs Winner Match 18, Tuks Stadium<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Engen Champ of Champs media draw was conducted live by SuperSport Schools on Tuesday at the University of Pretoria High Performance Centre (HPC). The tournament, which brings together the men’s and women’s provincial champion teams from across South Africa, takes place at the same venue, from Friday, 10 October, to Sunday, 12 October. Some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":84638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83240\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/84638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}