When Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates both secured their places in the 2025 Nedbank Cup final, football fans across South Africa immediately expected the iconic FNB Stadium to host the clash. After all, it’s not every day that the country’s two biggest football clubs meet in a final, and FNB — with its 90,000-seat capacity — has long been the natural home for such blockbuster occasions.
However, in a decision that surprised many supporters, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) announced that the final will be staged at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. The announcement raised questions among fans eager to understand why the grandest stadium in the country was overlooked for a match of this magnitude.
Scheduling Clash: Ultra Music Festival Takes Center Stage
The decision to move the match away from FNB Stadium wasn’t driven by footballing politics or logistics inside the stadium itself. Instead, the clash came down to a scheduling conflict that would have made hosting the cup final at FNB Stadium highly impractical.
On the same day as the Nedbank Cup final, the Ultra Music Festival — a major global dance event — will be taking place at the Nasrec Expo Centre, which sits right next door to FNB Stadium. The festival, which is known for attracting massive crowds and featuring top-tier DJs including Shimza and Oscar Mbo, would present serious challenges for traffic control, security, and crowd management in the area.
With two major events expected to draw tens of thousands of people each, the risk of overwhelming local infrastructure and compromising fan safety was simply too high. Faced with this reality, the PSL decided it would be in everyone’s best interest to move the match to another suitable location.
Durban: A Proven Host for High-Profile Matches
Moses Mabhida Stadium was the PSL’s logical alternative, and for good reason. While its seating capacity is smaller at 56,000, the stadium has a strong track record of hosting major fixtures, including Soweto Derbies.
One memorable occasion came in 2014, when Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates met in the MTN8 final at the same venue. That encounter was a tightly contested affair, which saw Amakhosi lift the trophy thanks to a solitary goal from defender Tefu Mashamaite. The smooth organization and electric atmosphere during that final left a lasting impression on players and supporters alike, reinforcing Durban’s credibility as a host city for showpiece matches.
Ticket Demand Expected to Surge
While Moses Mabhida is a world-class venue, the reality is that its smaller capacity means fewer fans will have the chance to experience this historic final in person. Whenever Chiefs and Pirates meet, demand for tickets is sky-high — and this occasion will be no different.
Supporters will need to act swiftly to secure their seats once ticket sales go live, as the allocation is likely to sell out within hours. The atmosphere is still expected to be electric, especially with both sets of fans eager to back their teams in the hope of lifting one of South Africa’s most prestigious football trophies.
FNB Stadium: The Heart of the Soweto Derby
Despite not hosting this year’s final, FNB Stadium remains synonymous with the Soweto Derby. Over the years, the venue has witnessed countless battles between Chiefs and Pirates, cementing its place as one of Africa’s premier football cathedrals.
Unfortunately, the timing of the Ultra Music Festival left the PSL with little choice but to look beyond Johannesburg for a suitable venue. Ultimately, the move to Durban is about ensuring both the safety and enjoyment of the thousands of fans expected to attend the final, while preserving the high standards expected of such a prestigious event.Although the absence of FNB Stadium for this year’s Nedbank Cup final will disappoint some fans, the circumstances around the decision highlight the importance of planning and public safety. With Durban stepping up to host yet another marquee football match, all eyes will now turn to May 10th, when two giants of South African football meet once again — this time, under the coastal skies of KwaZulu-Natal.
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