South Africa’s version of the League Cup pits all 16 Premiership clubs against each other in a knockout tournament currently known as the Carling Knockout for sponsorship reasons. The tournament was put on hold after the 2019/20 season but resumed in 2023/24.
The Carling Knockout Cup takes place every year between October and December, having been brought back to the schedule of the old Telkom Knockout, as it was previously known.
Last year, Stellenbosch FC (2.17) won the first trophy in the club’s history at the inaugural version with the new sponsor, Carling, working together with the Premier Soccer League.
What is the format of the Carling Knockout Cup?
The Carling Knockout Cup pits 16 teams against each other in a straight, single-legged elimination tournament.
For the draw, the top eight teams in the PSL based on the previous season’s Premiership standings are placed in pot 1 with the rest in pot 2 and thereafter, they are drawn against each other at random.
A winner will be determined after 90 minutes of regular time. If the teams are still tied at the end of full-time, the match will proceed to extra time. Should the tie persist, a penalty shootout will follow to decide the winner. The outcome must be settled on the same day.
At the end of the season, the competition winner will face a fan-voted Best XI. This all-star team will include six players from the first-tier league and six from the second-tier, with the coach also chosen by fan vote.
Carling Knockout Cup history
The competition was founded in 1982, originally known as the Datsun Challenge. Under the new National Soccer League (NSL) administration in 1984, it was rebranded as the JPS Knockout Cup. It kept this name until it became the Coca-Cola Cup in 1992.
Coca-Cola sponsored the tournament until 1996 when it was replaced by the Rothmans Cup. In 2001, the tournament returned to being called the Coca-Cola Cup.
Telkom took over as sponsor in 2006, continuing until 2020. The 2020/21 edition was cancelled after the loss of its main sponsor, and in August 2021, it was announced that the tournament would no longer be held due to fixture congestion. However, the competition resumed in the 2023/24 season under a new sponsorship deal with Carling Black Label and was renamed the Carling Knockout Cup.
Kaizer Chiefs (2.17) are by far the most successful team in the history of the League Cup with 13 titles. Mamelodi Sundowns (1.58) are second with four. Surprisingly, Orlando Pirates have only won it once, beating Bidvest Wits 3-1 in the 2011 final.
Wits won the tournament three times during their heyday, but they are no longer a PSL side after the club was sold and Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila took their top-flight license.
Ajax Cape Town and Platinum Stars each won the League Cup twice, but also no longer exist under their previous names. The first time Platinum Stars won it, they were known as Silver Stars, and the club was sold in 2018 and then dissolved, giving way to successor Cape Umoya United.
Other double champions Bush Bucks and Jomo Cosmos are also no longer top-flight clubs.
In total, there have been 17 champions of the tournament now known as the Carling Knockout Cup. The most recent champions, Stellenbosch FC, beat TS Galaxy (3.45) 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw after extra time in the final to clinch their first-ever trophy at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium.
