September PSL Review: Chiefs, Pirates, and Sundowns

Chiefs and Pirates have had a stop-start beginning to their campaigns. Both were forced to postpone league matches due to their CAF commitments, with Chiefs chasing a spot in the Confederation Cup group stage and Pirates fighting to qualify for the Champions League.

That meant fewer domestic games played during September – October, but it also created a looming challenge: fixture congestion later in the season. Sundowns, on the other hand, partly avoided that particular headache for now, having kept their league schedule largely on track.

Kaizer Chiefs – Shaky

It’s difficult to judge the mood at Chiefs presently. They started the season well with four wins and a draw, which saw them collect 13 points and sit second on the log table (behind Sekhukhune United). In fact, their performance (on the back of five clean sheets) outstripped the historical average of 6 – 7 points from their first five games in recent seasons.

Chiefs points totals after 5-games post-Covid
Season	Points (after 5 games)
2025/26	13*
2024/25	7
2023/24	7
2022/23	6
2021/22	5
2020/21	5

Since the September international break, it’s been a bit chaotic both on anf off the field. No team won fewer points in September, and even on a points-per-game basis, Chiefs would be 5th bottom last month, with only two points collected from a possible nine. Yet, combined with their August form their trajectory is currently at a rate that would place them inside the Top 3.

Orlando Pirates – A Well-Oiled Machine

For the Buccaneers, the September International break ended with a cup triumph as they became the first team to lift the MTN 8 trophy four consecutive times. Despite only playing two league fixtures (again due to CAF qualifying rounds), they won both convincingly and are on a current 5-game win streak in the league as well as a 7-game win streak in all competitions, stretching back to August. Based on their current form and performances, the Sea Robbers are collecting points at the same rate that previous PSL championship teams have been playing.

Sundowns – Setting the Standard

It hasn’t been all plain sailing for the defending champions so far this season. They are not dominating the league as they have in previous campaigns, already having drawn three games and losing one. With Sekhukhune Utd losing their last game before the October International break, Sundowns will stay top going into the run-up until the November International break.

For Masandawana, it was a case of business as usual: play the games and collect points as fast as possible ahead of the others. While some may say they are a shadow of their former self in seasons gone by, Masawanda are also collecting points at the same rate that previous PSL championship teams would have done.