Soweto derby
An Orlando Pirates fan and a Kaizer Chiefs fan before the Soweto derby. | |
| Other names | "El Kasico" |
|---|---|
| Location | Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Teams | |
| First meeting | Orlando Pirates 1–0 Kaizer Chiefs (24 January 1970) |
| Latest meeting | Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 Orlando Pirates (10 May 2025) Nedbank Cup |
| Next meeting | TBA |
| Stadiums | FNB Stadium (Chiefs) Orlando Stadium (Pirates) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 106 |
| Most wins | Orlando Pirates (50) |
| Most player appearances | Happy Jele (33) |
| Top scorer | Patrick Ntsoelengoe (19) |
| All-time series | Chiefs: 37 Draw: 19 Pirates: 50 |
| Largest victory | Pirates 5–1 Chiefs (1998) |
| Current win streak | Kaizer Chief 6 - 3 Orlando Pirates |
The Soweto Derby is a football rivalry between Premiership teams Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in South Africa. It was first contested on 24 January 1970. Matches between the two rivals attract a large fanbase. The rivalry is recognised as one of the biggest derbies in Africa.
The Soweto Derby is different to the Original Soweto Derby, which is contested between Pirates and Moroka Swallows.
Based in Soweto, Johannesburg, the rivalry stems from the fact that Kaizer Chiefs was formed by a former Orlando Pirates star Kaizer Motaung. Motaung had left Orlando Pirates to go play professional soccer in the now defunct North American Soccer League for a team called the Atlanta Chiefs. Upon returning home, he found a lot of infighting among the hierarchy at Pirates. He decided to form a Kaizer XI, which initially played friendly matches with various clubs in South Africa and then this entity evolved to the Kaizer Chiefs.