GDL and GWDL Top 8 showdowns to kick off the football season
South Africa’s leading development leagues, the Gauteng Development League (GDL) and the Gauteng Women’s Development League (GWDL), are set to kick off the 2026 season with the customary GDL and GWDL Top 8 competitions.
The tournaments feature the clubs that finished in the top eight of their respective leagues in the 2025 season.
In the boys’ u14 division, the 2025 champions were Kaizer Chiefs, who beat the former SuperSport United, now known as Siwelele, after the sale of the club’s status in 2025.
Amakhosi scored a convincing 4-1 win in the final, held at Tsakane Stadium. They were also the only squad to win a title outside of Mamelodi Sundowns across all divisions of the GDL in 2025.
In the u15 division, last year’s GDL Top 8 winner, Sundowns, beat Chiefs 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time.
SuperSport United claimed both the u17 and u19 GDL Top 8 titles, with the u17 team defeating the Remember Elite Sport Academy (RESA) in the title game, while the u19 side scored a 2-1 win over the School of Excellence in the u19 final. Tshiamo Selemela and Tshegofatso Modise were the key players, scoring the decisive goals for SuperSport United in the title-decider.
The competition kicks off on 7 February and provides teams with an opportunity to work on their match fitness and, perhaps, if all goes according to plan, to win a trophy early in the season.
Mamelodi Sundowns ruled the GDL in 2025, winning the u13, u15, u17, and u19 league titles, and the club is expected to be in the thick of the hunt for top spot again this year. However, the GDL is renowned for its competitiveness and unpredictability, which makes the path to victory a challenging one.
Among those sides who could challenge Sundowns are Kaizer Chiefs, Siwelele, and the Africa School of Excellence, previously known as the School of Excellence, which was acquired by Chipcor Developers, a subsidiary of Chippa Holdings, founded by Chippa Mpengesi.
Sfiso Mnguni’s Highlands Park, who lost out on the u19 league title to Mamelodi Sundowns on the last day of the season in 2025, thus falling just short of a three-peat, should be in the reckoning again. RESA and Randburg, too, showed last year that they have what it takes to challenge for the title. Their presence will heighten expectations for the GDL Top 8, which should provide an exciting and unpredictable start to the 2026 GDL season.
The competition will run concurrently with the GWDL Top 8, which was last held in 2024, when the inaugural edition was won by Mamelodi Sundowns.
Banyana Ba Style have consistently dominated the GWDL league across all formats over the past three editions. They secured the u15 title in 2023 during the league’s first season, when it featured only that division. In 2024, the GWDL expanded to include two divisions, u14 and u16, and Sundowns won both league titles, while not conceding a goal in 24 matches in the u16 division.
In the 2025 GWDL, there was a shift and increased competition for the Brazilians. Ultimately, though, they lifted the u17 title, but the SAFA Academy won the u15 division, and JVW claimed the inaugural u13 title.
The GWDL Top 8 mirrors the GDL Top 8, with both competitions kicking off on 7 February and sharing the same venue and date for the finals. The details will be confirmed at a later stage of the competition.
With their impressive track record, Sundowns Ladies will be the favourites to lift the trophy, but their journey will not be straightforward.
Teams like Refilwe have already challenged ‘Downs, in both the GWDL and continental competitions, including the u17 Confederation of African Football (Caf) Girls Integrated Football Tournament (GIFT), which Mamelodi Sundowns won in December, in Zimbabwe.
Other teams, including JVW and Panorama, will be eager to elevate their performances and to begin the season with a trophy. A tough challenge awaits, but 2025 revealed greater parity in both the GDL and the GWDL, and that will make for an exciting event.
GDL Top 8 FIXTURES
7 February
Kaizer Chiefs Village
09:00 – Kaizer Chiefs vs Tuks (u14)
10:30 – Kaizer Chiefs vs Panorama (u15)
12:00 – Kaizer Chiefs vs Panorama (u17)
14:00 – Kaizer Chiefs vs Randburg (u19)
Eskom Megawatt Park
08:30 – Siwelele vs Seven’s Academy (u13)
10:30 – Siwelele vs East Rand Athletic Club (u14)
11:30 – Siwelele vs Randburg (u15)
13:00 – Siwelele vs Seven’s Academy (u17)
14:00 – Siwelele vs RESA (u19)
Balfour Park
08:30 – Highlands Park vs Tuks (u13)
09:30 – Highlands Park vs Panorama (u14)
11:00 – Africa School of Excellence vs Wits Junior (u15)
14:00 – RESA vs Tuks (u17)
15:00 – Highlands Park vs Wits Junior (u19)
8 February
Clapham High School
08:30 – Mamelodi Sundowns vs Panorama (u13)
09:30 – Mamelodi Sundowns vs Kathorus Hyper Academy (u14)
11:00 – Mamelodi Sundowns vs Joburg City (u15)
13:00 – Mamelodi Sundowns vs Highlands Park (u17)
15:00 – Mamelodi Sundowns vs Kathorus Hyper Academy (u19)
14 February
Semifinals
Venue: TBC
08:30 – M1 Winner u13 vs M4 Winner u13
09:30 – M1 Winner u14 vs M4 Winner u14
11:00 – M1 Winner u15 vs M4 Winner u15
13:00 – M1 Winner u17 vs M4 Winner u17
15:00 – M1 Winner u19 vs M4 Winner u19
Venue: TBC
08:30 – M2 Winner u13 vs M3 Winner u13
09:30 – M2 Winner u14 vs M3 Winner u14
11:00 – M2 Winner u15 vs M3 Winner u15
13:00 – M2 Winner u17 vs M3 Winner u17
15:00 – M2 Winner u19 vs M3 Winner u19
22 March
FINALS
Venue: TBC
08:30 – M5 Winner u13 vs M6 Winner u13
09:30 – M5 Winner u14 vs M6 Winner u14
11:00 – M5 Winner u15 vs M6 Winner u15
13:00 – M5 Winner u17 vs M6 Winner u17
15:00 – M5 Winner u19 vs M6 Winner u19
GWDL Top 8 FIXTURES
8 February
Chloorkop
09:00 – Mamelodi Sundowns vs Tuks (u13)
10:00 – Mamelodi Sundowns vs Tuks (u15)
11:30 – Mamelodi Sundowns vs Tuks (u17)
JP Bezuidenhout
09:00 – Edenvale vs Kenneth (u13)
10:15 – Edenvale vs Kenneth (u15)
11:30 – Edenvale vs Kenneth (u17)
Curro Hazeldean
09:00 – Refilwe vs Panorama (u13)
10:00 – Refilwe vs Panorama (u15)
11:30 – Refilwe vs Panorama (u17)
Highlands Park Linksfield (Bedford Park)
09:00 – JVW vs Kempton Park (u13)
10:00 – JVW vs Kempton Park (u15)
11:00 – JVW vs Kempton Park (u17)
