Pirates lifted the Carling Knockout title on Saturday with a hard-fought extra-time win over Marumo Gallants in the final in Polokwane, to go with their MTN8 success in September.
Nine of the current 16 topflight teams have lifted silverware in the past, but there is one that still stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Kaizer Chiefs (68 Trophies)
League titles: 13
Other trophies: 55
It will take some doing for them to ever be overhauled, though they no longer hold the record for most league wins, having ceded that to Mamelodi Sundowns five years ago and fallen further behind. Certainly the days of them being the dominant force in the local game are over for now, though their Nedbank Cup win in 2025 ended their long 10-year wait for silverware. Chiefs will claim they have had more successes, but we have not included exhibition tournaments and the like.
Orlando Pirates (43)
League titles: 9
Other trophies: 34
Pirates did much of their best work in the 1970s and by the end of that decade had garnered 13 trophies, a little over a third of their overall total. The next decade was a leaner one with just four pieces of silverware, but they bounced back to win seven, including the coveted CAF Champions Cup, in the 1990s. Since then wins have been sporadic, though they did do the ‘Double Treble’ to claim six trophies between 2010-2012, and in the last three and a bit seasons have a quartet of MTN8 titles, two Nedbank Cups and now the Carling Knockout.
Mamelodi Sundowns (35)
League titles: 18
Other trophies: 17
The holders for the most league titles in the domestic game, they quite remarkably have more championship wins as they do knockout trophies. For all of their league dominance of late, with eight championships in a row, they still battle to be consistent cup winners. In fact, since the start of their run of eight league titles in a row, they have won only five of the numerous knockout competitions they have entered and one of those was the gimmicky African Football League.
AmaZulu (2)
League titles: 1
Other trophies: 1
This may come as a major surprise for a club of their size and support, but AmaZulu have only ever won two major trophies in their history, the last some 33 years ago! They claimed the league title 53 years ago in 1972 when they won the NPSL and then added to the Coca-Cola Cup to small trophy cabinet in 1992. They have been to six finals in the Nedbank Cup competition and lost them all.
Lamontville Golden Arrows (1)
League titles: 0
Other trophies: 1
Golden Arrows’ only trophy success came in fine style in 2009 as they thrashed Ajax Cape Town 6-0 in the final of the MTN8, still the biggest margin of victory in a South African knockout decider. Manqoba Mngqithi, now back in charge, was the coach of that side and it was the season that really put him on the map. That is also their only final appearance, while they have not been close to winning the league.
TS Galaxy (1)
League titles: 0
Other trophies: 1
Galaxy were shock winners of the 2019 Nedbank Cup as, while then a second-tier side, they stunned Kaizer Chiefs in the final with a 1-0 victory. They have since bought their way into the topflight after purchasing the status of Highlands Park and lost in the 2023 Carling Knockout final.
Marumo Gallants (1)
League titles: 0
Other trophies: 1
Gallants were winners of the Nedbank Cup in 2021 as Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo’s deflected goal defeated Chippa United 1-0 in the final. They also made the decider the following year but lost to Sundowns, and have another cup final defeat after this loss to Pirates on Saturday.
Stellenbosch FC (1)
League titles: 0
Other trophies: 1
Stellenbosch FC claimed the 2023 Carling Knockout with a penalty shootout win over TS Galaxy, and also reached the final of the 2024 MTN8, where they lost to Pirates. They are building something in the Cape Winelands and it would be no surprise were they to get more success in the coming years.
Magesi FC (1)
League titles: 0
Other trophies: 1
Magesi were shock winners of the 2024 Carling Knockout when they defeated Sundowns in the final for their first major trophy win. They were also surprise promotion winners the previous season and have managed to retain their topflight status.