# Carling Knockout Cup

The Carling Knockout Cup is a South African professional football knockout competition which comprises the 16 teams in the South African Premier Division.
The competition was established in 1982 and was first known as the Datsun Challenge. Under the new NSL regime in 1984, it became known as the JPS Knockout Cup. It used this name until 1992 when it became known as the Coca-Cola Cup. It was sponsored by the drinks manufacturer until 1996, when it was replaced by the Rothmans Cup which was changed back to the Coca-Cola Cup in 2001 due to the new rules regarding tobacco sponsorship in sport. Telkom became the new sponsors in 2006 until 2020. The 2020/21 edition was cancelled after the loss of the main sponsor and in August 2021 it was confirmed that the tournament would no longer be held, citing fixture congestion. However the competition resumed in the 2023/24 season following a new sponsorship deal with alcoholic beverage company Carling Black Label, being renamed the Carling Knockout Cup.
The Carling Knockout Cup is the second League cup of the PSL and cup number three of the DStv Premiership following the MTN 8 and the Nedbank Cup.
The Carling Knockout Cup was officially launched on 10 October 2023.

## Format

The format that will be used in this Competition is the Knockout Stage phase. The competition will be played by 16 teams in a single knockout match.
A winner will be decided after Full-time(90 minutes).If the two teams playing against each other are still tied after Full-time, then the match will go through to Extra time.If the points are still tied then the match will go through to Penalty Shoot-outs.The winner of the match must be decided on at the end of the match/day.
After the conclusion of the season of this competition, the winner will play against a best-Xl voted by the fans.The all-stars team must consist of 6 players from the First tier league and 6 players from second tier and the coach must also be voted on by the fans.

## Competition history

| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| Datsun Challenge ||||
| 1982 | Arcadia Shepherds | 1–1 (2–0) | Highlands Park |
| 1983 | Kaizer Chiefs | 2–1 | Wits University |
| John Player Special (JPS) Knockout Cup ||||
| 1984 | Kaizer Chiefs (2) | | Durban Bush Bucks |
| 1985 | Wits University | | Kaizer Chiefs |
| 1986 | Kaizer Chiefs (3) | | Moroka Swallows |
| 1987 | Durban Bush Bucks | | Orlando Pirates |
| 1988 | Kaizer Chiefs (4) | | Jomo Cosmos |
| 1989 | Kaizer Chiefs (5) | | Moroka Swallows |
| 1990 | Sundowns | | Orlando Pirates |
| 1991 | Dynamos | | Giant Blackpool |
| Coca-Cola Cup ||||
| 1992 | AmaZulu | | Kaizer Chiefs |
| 1993 | Umtata Bucks | | Santos |
| 1994 | Qwa Qwa Stars | | Hellenic |
| 1995 | Wits University (2) | | Orlando Pirates |
| 1996 | Umtata Bush Bucks (2) | | Qwa Qwa Stars |
| Rothmans Cup ||||
| 1997 | Kaizer Chiefs (6) | | Mamelodi Sundowns |
| 1998 | Kaizer Chiefs (7) | | Mamelodi Sundowns |
| 1999 | Sundowns(2) | 2–0 | Free State Stars |
| 2000 | Ajax Cape Town | 4–0 | Orlando Pirates |
| Coca-Cola Cup ||||
| 2001 | Kaizer Chiefs (8) | 5–0 | Jomo Cosmos |
| 2002 | Jomo Cosmos | 1–0 | Kaizer Chiefs |
| 2003 | Kaizer Chiefs (9) | 2-0 | Silver Stars |
| 2004 | Kaizer Chiefs (10) | 1–0 | SuperSport United F.C. |
| 2005 | Jomo Cosmos (2) | | SuperSport United F.C. |
| Telkom Knockout Cup ||||
| 2006 | Silver Stars | 3–1 | Ajax Cape Town |
| 2007 | Kaizer Chiefs (11) | 0(3)–(2)0 | Mamelodi Sundowns |
| 2008 | Ajax Cape Town (2) | 2–1 | Orlando Pirates |
| 2009 | Kaizer Chiefs (12) | 2–1 | Ajax Cape Town |
| 2010 | Kaizer Chiefs (13) | 3–0 | Orlando Pirates |
| 2011 | Orlando Pirates | 3–1 | Bidvest Wits |
| 2012 | Bloemfontein Celtic | 1–0 | Mamelodi Sundowns |
| 2013 | Platinum Stars (2) | 2–1 | Orlando Pirates |
| 2014 | SuperSport United F.C. | 3–2 | Platinum Stars |
| 2015 | Mamelodi Sundowns (3) | 3–1 | Kaizer Chiefs |
| 2016 | Cape Town City | 2–1 | SuperSport United F.C. |
| 2017 | Bidvest Wits (3) | 1–0 | Bloemfontein Celtic |
| 2018 | Baroka | 2(3)–(2)2 | Orlando Pirates |
| 2019 | Mamelodi Sundowns (4) | 2–1 | Maritzburg United |
| Carling Knockout Cup ||||
| 2023 | Stellenbosch (1) | 1–1 (5–4) | TS Galaxy |
| 2024 | Magesi (1) | 2–1 | Mamelodi Sundowns |

## Results by team

Results by team :
| Club | Wins | First final won | Most recent final won | Runners-up | Most recent final lost | Total final appearances |
| Kaizer Chiefs | 13 | 1983 | 2010 | 4 | 2015 | 17 |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | 4 | 1990 | 2019 | 5 | 2024 | 9¹ |
| Bidvest Wits (previously Wits University) | 3 | 1985 | 2017 | 2 | 2011 | 5 |
| Ajax Cape Town | 2 | 2000 | 2008 | 2 | 2009 | 4 |
| Jomo Cosmos | 2 | 2002 | 2005 | 2 | 2001 | 4 |
| Platinum Stars (previously Silver Stars) | 2 | 2006 | 2013 | 2 | 2014 | 4 |
| Umtata Bush Bucks | 2 | 1993 | 1996 | 0 | – | 2 |
| Orlando Pirates | 1 | 2011 | 2011 | 8 | 2018 | 9 |
| Supersport United | 1 | 2014 | 2014 | 3 | 2016 | 4 |
| Bloemfontein Celtic | 1 | 2012 | 2012 | 1 | 2017 | 2 |
| Arcadia Shepherds | 1 | 1982 | 1982 | 0 | – | 1 |
| Durban Bush Bucks | 1 | 1987 | 1987 | 1 | – | 2 |
| AmaZulu | 1 | 1992 | 1992 | 0 | – | 1 |
| Dynamos | 1 | 1991 | 1991 | 0 | – | 1 |
| Cape Town City | 1 | 2016 | 2016 | 0 | – | 1 |
| Baroka | 1 | 2018 | 2018 | 0 | – | 1 |
| Stellenbosch | 1 | 2023 | 2023 | 0 | – | 1 |
| Magesi | 1 | 2024 | 2024 | 0 | – | 1 |
| Moroka Swallows | 0 | – | – | 2 | 1989 | 2 |
| Highlands Park | 0 | – | – | 1 | 1982 | 1 |
| Maritzburg United | 0 | - | - | 1 | 2019 | 1 |
| TS Galaxy | 0 | - | - | 1 | 2023 | 1 |