Soweto Derby Head-to-Head: Orlando Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs All-Time Record
- Kaizer Chiefs hold the all-time Soweto Derby lead with 75 wins to Orlando Pirates' 50 across 185 competitive meetings since 1970
- Pirates have dominated recent fixtures, winning six of the last 10 derbies, including a 3-0 thrashing of Chiefs in February 2026
- The two Soweto-based sides meet at FNB Stadium on 31 October 2026, with 63,680 tickets selling out in a single day
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Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs prepare to meet at FNB Stadium on Saturday, 31 October 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 15:30, in the first Betway Premiership Soweto Derby of the 2026/27 season.
Public appetite for the fixture was evident from the outset. All 63,680 tickets released on 13 October sold out within 24 hours, underlining the scale of a rivalry that stretches back to 24 January 1970, when the two sides produced a ten-goal contest in their very first meeting.
Kaizer Chiefs lead the all-time head-to-head
Across 185 competitive matches in all competitions since 1970, Kaizer Chiefs hold a significant historical advantage. Amakhosi have claimed 75 victories compared to Pirates' 50, with 55 draws and five abandoned matches on record. That 25-win margin was accumulated primarily during the 1970s and 1980s, when Chiefs were South African football's dominant force. The five abandoned games include fixtures associated with the 1991 Orkney stadium disaster and the 2001 Ellis Park disaster.
In league competition specifically, the gap is narrower. Across 80 PSL and NSL matches since 1985, Chiefs have won 31, Pirates 20, and 29 have ended level.
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Historically, Chiefs have also outscored their rivals, netting 234 times to Pirates' 204 across all derby meetings, for a combined tally of 438 goals. The late Pule 'Ace' Ntsoelengoe remains the fixture's all-time top scorer with 19 goals for Chiefs, while Jomo Sono leads the Pirates list with nine.
Pirates dominate the modern era
Recent results, however, tell a markedly different story. Pirates won five consecutive derbies between November 2023 and May 2025, a club record, before Chiefs ended that run with a 2-1 victory in the 2025 Nedbank Cup final in Durban. The Buccaneers responded with a commanding 3-0 win in February 2026, with Tshepang Moremi, Oswin Appollis and substitute Evidence Makgopa all finding the net. A 1-1 draw followed in April, meaning Pirates have now won six of the last ten meetings, scoring 14 goals to Chiefs' nine in that span.
Both clubs arrive at the weekend fixture in good form following Carling Knockout victories on Tuesday. Pirates beat Milford FC 3-0, while Chiefs defeated TS Galaxy by the same margin, with Wandile Duba scoring all three goals for Amakhosi. In the league, Pirates sit second with 22 points from eight games, while Chiefs occupy fifth place on 14 points.
The return fixture, with Kaizer Chiefs as hosts, is scheduled for 13 March 2027.
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Source: Briefly News
