BLOEMFONTEIN – The 2026 Varsity Football competition, which provides for both male and female players, is set to renew football rivalries. At the centre of the rivalry in the men’s section will be defending champions, the University of the Free State (UFS). They will be attempting to defend South Africa’s premier university football title.
The Kovsie lads won the crown in October last year after beating the four-time champions, the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), 5 – 4 on penalties following a 0 – 0 draw in regulation time.
The UFS men made history by winning the first-ever major trophy after it eluded them for years, despite impressive performances in previous years. An additional piece of history was that former Jomo Cosmos and Bloemfontein Celtic defender Mokete Tsotetsi led the UFS men to their maiden cup glory within just three months of his appointment as head coach. He signed a three-year deal with the university.

The women’s tournament will once again showcase the country’s top student footballers. Contenders in the women’s section are the Walter Sisulu University (WSU, Eastern Cape), University of Limpopo (UL, Limpopo), Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and University of the Western Cape (UWC) from the Western Cape, and the TUT, University of Johannesburg (UJ) and University of Pretoria (UP) representing Gauteng. The defending champions, the UWC, will be aiming to make history by securing a fourth Varsity Football women’s title.
Other teams in the men’s section are the UJ, TUT, UWC, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Durban University of Technology (DUT) in KwaZulu-Natal, UP and UL.
This year’s edition of the tournament is scheduled to run from 7 August to 2 October, with the final on that date. The women’s tournament is set to kick off on 1 August and will be contested over two bumper weekends before attention shifts to the men’s competition, which runs from 7 August to
2 October.
The competition returns with exciting changes that will see the men’s matches played on Friday nights, while the newly introduced women’s games will be hosted on Saturdays. Previously, games were always held on Wednesdays.
Varsity Football manager Siya Noqayi believes the continued growth of the competition reflects the increasing quality and competitiveness of university football in South Africa.
“We are excited to introduce Friday night football this year where we won’t just be hosting a football tournament … we will be creating a movement. With the women’s tournament expanding its footprint and the men’s competition welcoming new teams alongside the return of familiar rivals, we are looking forward to another unforgettable season that celebrates talent, opportunity and the passion of football,” said Noqayi.