 | |
| Organising body | Orlando Pirates F.C. |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2016 |
| Region | South Africa |
| Number of teams | 54 |
| Current champions | Stars of Africa Football Academy |
| Most successful team(s) | Orlando Pirates U/21 (3 titles) |
| Website | |
 2024 | |
The Pirates Cup is an U/21 soccer tournament hosted annually by Orlando Pirates.
History
The inaugural edition was founded in 2016. Orlando Pirates won the first three editions of the tournament.
In 2019, the tournament started allowing U/21 teams from the PSL and the NFD to participate and increased the numbers of teams from 24 to 32 teams. Orlando Pirates were defeated 1-0 in the final by SuperSport United making Matsatsantsa the first team other than the Buccaneers to win the tournament.
Champions
| Year | Champions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Orlando Pirates | |
| 2017 | Orlando Pirates | |
| 2018 | Orlando Pirates | |
| 2019 | SuperSport United | Orlando Pirates |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 | |
| 2021 | ||
| 2022 | Ambassadors FC | Bosso 90 |
| 2023 | Stars of Africa Football Academy | Orbit College |
| 2024 | University of Johannesburg FC | Teltonika Amahle |
Project X
The best players at the tournament get to feature in the Project X team. Project X, is a developmental team formed by Orlando Pirates to develop its future stars and expose them to the highest level of football. The team has a yearly tour in which they play matches against some best academies.
The 2017 and 2019 Project X tours saw the team jet out to England. In 2018, they toured Brazil.
Awards
The following players were rated best:
| Year | Golden Boot | Team | MVP | Team | Golden Glove | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | ||||||
| 2017 | ||||||
| 2018 | ||||||
| 2019 | Rodi Sibanda (12 goals) | Orlando Pirates | Reagan Appollis | SuperSport United | ||
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 | |||||
| 2021 | ||||||
| 2022 | Mehluleli Maphumulo | Ambassadors FC | Relebogile Ratomo | Transnet School of Excellence | ||
| 2023 | Lungile Mokoena | Amahle FC | Siyabulela Mabele | Orbit College | ||
| 2024 | Thokozani Sibanyoni | eMalahleni United | Mpendulo Phewa | Midlands Academy | Lungelo Sithole | University of Johannesburg FC |
Sponsor
The tournament is sponsored by:
References
- "Pirates Cup Group Stages Announced | Orlando Pirates Football Club". www.orlandopiratesfc.com. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- "Pirates Cup is back! | Orlando Pirates Football Club". www.orlandopiratesfc.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- "SSU Win Pirates Cup | Orlando Pirates Football Club". www.orlandopiratesfc.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- "Pirates Cup Group Stages Announced | Orlando Pirates Football Club". www.orlandopiratesfc.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- "Orlando Pirates' Project X 2019 to jet out to England". Sport. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- "EXTRA TIME: Orlando Pirates Project X youth team in London | Goal.com South Africa". www.goal.com. 2017-05-05. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- "EXTRA TIME: Watch Orlando Pirates youngsters on their way to Rio | Goal.com South Africa". www.goal.com. 2018-04-28. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- "Stars of Africa, Tuks Ladies Crowned 2023 Pirates Cup Champions | Orlando Pirates Football Club". www.orlandopiratesfc.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- "Orlando Pirates Cup 2023 – aQuellé". aquelle.co.za. Retrieved 2024-03-28.