Curro Halala Cup returns with even tougher field
The second edition of the Curro Halala Cup kicks off with round-robin matches from Friday until Sunday across eight provinces. That marks the beginning of the journey to HeronBridge College, the host of the grand finale, featuring 24 teams, at which the 2026 champions will be crowned.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
Four teams secured automatic qualification last year, including the inaugural champion, Northern Academy, and Norkem Park High, whom they beat in the final. The losing semifinalists, Bloemfontein’s Grey College and Navalsig High, also secured their spots.
The remaining 16 teams will qualify via regional playoffs. Four wildcards will complete the line-up for August’s national final.
In 2025, one of the teams that successfully advanced to the final stage of the competition through the regional playoffs was Hillcrest High. They were the winners of the Curro Halala Spirit Award and finished as the runner-up in the Plate competition to Meridian Pinehurst.
The round-robin, the initial phase of the tournament, features 64 schools organised into eight regions, with each region containing two pools of four teams. The regional playoffs will follow on 23 May, with the schools that finish atop their groups securing the most advantageous playoff brackets.
Virginia High, a key contender in the Free State, will start in the round-robin phase, and is one of the teams to watch out for this year.
Last year, they were one of the best teams in the country, winning the Absa Wildeklawer Soccer Tournament and the inaugural Potchefstroom High School for Boys Football Tournament. They also finished as runner-up in the Kloof High Football National Tournament.
Led by national team player Oageng Lebesane, they should be a contender, but they face tough competition in Group B from Hodisa Technical Secondary, HTS Louis Botha, and Curro Bloemfontein. Group A of the Free State region features St Anne’s High, Moroka High, Brebner High, and Bloemfontein High.
Pinetown Boys’ High is another intriguing contender. Despite a rough start in the 2025 KZHNSFA Coastal A-League, in which they finished seventh, they rebounded, playing some outstanding football to win both the Kloof High School Tournament and the Kearsney Soccer Tournament.
Their u16 team also claimed the inaugural u16 Clive Barker Soccer Festival at Glenwood High, defeating Maritzburg College 2-0 in the title game. That suggests that they possess high-quality replacements for players who matriculated last year. Though not widely recognised nationally, Pinetown Boys’ High could surprise in the Curro Halala Cup.
The finishing positions of the top four teams in the regional round-robin matches are important because they will determine the match-ups at the grand finale.
ROUND-ROBIN FIXTURES
17-19 April
KwaZulu-Natal
Pool A
Hillcrest High vs Kloof High
Durban High School vs Grantleigh College
Pool B
Glenwood vs Curro Hillcrest
Pinetown Boys’ High vs Creston College
Free State
Pool A
St Anne’s High vs Moroka High School
Brebner High vs Bloemfontein High School
Pool B
Virginia High vs Hodisa Secondary School
HTS Louis Botha vs Curro Bloemfontein
Limpopo
Pool A
Flora Park vs Sebita Secondary School
Capricorn High vs Louis Trichardt High
Pool B
Westernburg High vs Future Comprehensive
Taxila Secondary School vs HTS Torn Naude
Mpumalanga
Pool A
St Mark’s International vs Beacon College
Meridian Karino vs Curro Nelspruit
Pool B
Barberton High vs Curro Mbombela
Loweveld High vs Portia Shabangu
Gauteng 3
Pool A
Curro Soshanguve vs CBC Mount Edmund
Randfontein High vs Curro Serengeti
Pool B
Curro Wilgeheuwel vs Steyn City School
Waterstone College vs Woodhill College
Gauteng 2
Pool A
Rosina Sedibane vs Curro Pretoria
Curro Protea Glen vs Curro Hazeldean
Pool B
Mondeor High vs Curro Midrand
Curro Aurora vs Vaal High School
Gauteng 1
Pool A
Clapham High vs The King’s School Linbro Park
Meridian Cosmo City vs Curro Parkdene
Pool B
Curro Thatchfield vs HeronBridge College
Queen’s High School vs Curro Clayville
Western Cape
Pool A
Reddam House Constantia vs Curro Century City
Milnerton High vs Curro Somerset West
Pool B
Camps Bay High vs Curro Sandown
Meridian Pinehurst vs Somerset College
Key Dates
– Round-Robin, 17-19 April
– Regional Playoffs, 23 May
– Grand Finale (Pool Phase), 7-8 August
– Grand Finale (QFs and SFs), 9 August
– Grand Finale (Final), 10 August
