Orlando Pirates vs Mamelodi Sundowns: What History Says About the MTN8 Final Showdown
- Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns will meet in the MTN8 final at Moses Mabhida Stadium on 10 October, with Durban expecting over 50,000 visitors
- Tickets priced at R150 go on sale exclusively online on Friday, but history suggests they could sell out within hours
- Previous finals at Moses Mabhida generated hundreds of millions of rands in economic impact for Durban — and this year's clash could match that scale
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns will face off in the MTN8 final at Moses Mabhida Stadium on 10 October, with kick-off set for 6 pm, as Durban braces for a major influx of football supporters and visitors.
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said the city is preparing to receive more than 50,000 supporters and visitors for the weekend. That projection is grounded in recent experience, when the same two clubs contested the 2023 MTN8 final at the same venue; an estimated 60,000 supporters made the trip to Durban.
What previous MTN8 finals did for Durban's economy
The 2023 final left a substantial mark on eThekwini's economy. The municipality estimated that the event generated R43 million in direct spending, with a further R108 million contributed to the local GDP. Tickets for that final sold out in just 18 hours, going on sale at 3 pm on a Thursday and clearing by 9 a.m. the following morning.
Demand moved even faster the following year. The 2024 MTN8 final between Pirates and Stellenbosch, also held at Moses Mabhida, drew more than 60,000 spectators.
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
The PSL confirmed that tickets sold out within four hours of going on sale. KwaZulu-Natal officials reported that hotels and accommodation establishments across eThekwini were fully booked as fans arrived from other provinces.
The 2025 Nedbank Cup final between Kaizer Chiefs and Pirates reinforced the appetite for big football in Durban. Of the tickets made publicly available, 41,000 sold out in approximately 90 minutes.
Economic projections for that match pointed to more than R93 million in direct impact, with the total contribution to Durban's GDP, including indirect and induced effects, projected at over R230 million.
How to get tickets for the 2026 MTN8 final
Tickets for the Pirates-Sundowns final are priced at R150 each and will be sold exclusively through [Open Tickets] from 10am on Friday. Buyers are limited to four tickets per transaction, and an online queue is expected given anticipated demand.
Supporters travelling from outside KwaZulu-Natal are advised to secure accommodation early. The City has urged visitors to plan journeys and make use of public transport.
Arrangements covering transport, traffic management and fan parks are still to be confirmed, with the City working alongside the PSL, stadium management, law enforcement and emergency services ahead of matchday.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
