Kaizer Chiefs FC went all the way to lift the 2026 Engen Knockout Challenge in Johannesburg over the weekend.
Facing stiff competition, the junior Glamour Boys managed to go one step further, putting last year’s heartbreaking final loss behind them by claiming top honours at Marks Park Sports Complex.
The Engen Knockout is South Africa’s premier under-18 boys and under-20 ladies football competition. 16 of Gauteng’s top junior sides battle it out for top honours over three days.
Engen Knockout Boys Recap
Group A: Kathorus Hyper Academy – Kaizer Chiefs – DBK Football Stars – Wits University
Kathorus Hyper Acdemy topped the group while Kaizer Chiefs qualified alongside them for the quarter-finals.
Group B: Mamelodi Sundowns – Panorama FC – Randburg AFC – Sanders United
Mamelodi Sundowns topped the group with Randburg AFC qualifying alongside them for the quarter finals.
Group C: University of Pretoria – Highlands Park – Prestige Football Development – TS Galaxy
University of Pretoria topped the group while Highlands Park qualified alongside them for the quarter-finals
Group D: Joburg FC – Orlando Pirates – Siwelele – RESA
Orlando Pirates topped the group while Siwelele FC qualified alongside them for the quarter-finals.
There were not many surprises during the group stages, with all of the big guns proceeding to the last eight. And the competition showed exactly that with penalties needed to decide the winners in three of the four quarter finals.
Quarterfinal results
Orlando Pirates 0-0 Randburg AFC (Randburg win 6-4 via a penalty shootout)
Highlands Park 0-0 Kaizer Chiefs (Chiefs win 4-2 via a penalty shootout)
Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0 Siwelele FC
Kathorus Hyper Acdemy 0-0 University of Pretoria (Kathorus win 4-2 via a penalty shootout)
Semi-final results
Kaizer Chiefs 1-1 Randburg AFC (Chiefs win 3-1 via a penalty shootout)
Mamelodi Sundowns 0-0 Kathorus Hyper Academy (Kathorus win 3-2 via a penalty shootout)
Final result
Kaizer Chiefs 2-0 Kathorus Hyper Academy
Sundowns triumph in the ladies section
Mamelodi Sundowns went all the way in the ladies section to lift the title. The Tshwane side managed to get the better of Kaizer Chiefs in the semi-finals before defeating University of Johannesburg in an action packed final.
The Kaizer Chiefs under-18 boys team and Mamelodi Sundowns under-20 ladies team will now represent Gauteng at the Engen Champ of Champs competition in October at the TUKS High Performance Centre. It’s there where they’ll face the other eight provincial Engen Knockout winners.
