Rele wins big as Pirates dominate PSL Awards
Orlando Pirates dominated the 2026 Premier Soccer League awards, with Relebohile Mofokeng winning three major honors including Footballer of the Season. The club secured 10 awards in total, reflecting a highly successful campaign that ended Mamelodi Sundowns' long-standing dominance.
Why it matters
The awards highlight a significant shift in power within South African professional football following a record-breaking season for the Orlando Pirates.
He may have left the country to join Belgium’s Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, but Relebohile Mofokeng was the biggest winner at the Premier Soccer League’s annual awards ceremony, held virtually on Monday night.
Mofokeng, who left Orlando Pirates after the World Cup for the Belgian Pro League, walked away with the prestigious footballer of the year and players’ player of the year awards, capping a remarkable season which saw his team win the Betway Premiership for the first time since 2012.
As he’s still aged just 21, Mofokeng was able to retain the young player of the year award he won last year, bringing his haul of honours to three on the night.
It was a night predictably dominated by the Buccaneers, for whom Moroccan Abdeslam Ouaddou was named the best coach in the league after claiming the championship in his first season, ending Mamelodi Sundowns’ eight-year dominance.
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