The race for GladAfrica Championship promotion to next season’s DStv Premiership will be decided on Sunday, but Richards Bay remain the favourites to secure a first ever top-flight season in the 2022/23 campaign.
Richards Bay and University of Pretoria are in contention for top-spot in the GladAfrica Championship and automatic promotion to the top-flight league in Mzansi.
Cape Town All Stars could potentially finish as runners-up (but no better) with just one match remaining.
The teams that finish second and third in the final GladAfrica Championship standings will go into the promotion playoffs with the side that ends 15th (second from bottom) in the DStv Premiership.
Those three clubs will play a round-robin ‘competition’ with the winner either claiming (or retaining) their place in the top-flight for the 2022/23 season.
The 16th and bottom side in the DStv Premiership will automatically be relegated.
That means that the current DStv Premiership teams who stay up this season face a trip to Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal or a visit to AmaTuks in Pretoria.
Or BOTH if the two GladAfrica Championship sides are ultimately promoted.
There’s also the outside chance Cape Town All Stars are promoted meaning another visit to the Mother City.
Of course, with Baroka FC favourites to be relegated from the DStv Premiership at the end of the season, there would be one fewer trip to Polokwane in the 2022/23 season.
LATEST GLADAFRICA CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Below, according to SuperSport, a look at the various permutations ahead of the final round of the regular GladAfrica Championship season on Sunday, 15 May.
All final day matches will kick off at 15:00.
RICHARDS BAY
Points: 53
Goal difference: +17
Goals scored: 39
The KwaZulu-Natal side are the heavy favourites to go up automatically as they host 14th-place Cape Town Spurs.
UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA
Points: 51
Goal difference: +14
Goals scored: 40
Will host Hungry Lions in their final match and will expect a win against a team placed 12th in the league who have won only twice away this season.
CAPE TOWN ALL STARS
Points: 48
Goal difference: +12
Goals scored: 37
All Stars cannot win automatic promotion, but are assured of a place in the playoffs, with the only thing to be decided being whether they finish second or third.
They host fifth-placed JDR Stars in their final fixture.