The North-West University (NWU) Soccer Institute heads to Mthatha carrying more than a provincial title. The team enters the 2026 ABC Motsepe League National Playoffs with hopes of securing professional football status and reshaping the future of the institute ahead of its 20th anniversary next year.
The NWU will compete in the national playoffs from 1 to 7 June 2026, where provincial champions from across South Africa will battle for promotion to the Motsepe Foundation Championship, the second-tier professional league in the country.
Coach Nkuleleko Malgas says the team has spent weeks preparing for the pressure that comes with the tournament.
“We speak openly about the benefits of promoting the team,” said coach Malgas. “It can be life-changing for the players and also change the value of the club overnight.”
For him, promotion would also strengthen the ability of the institute to compete for talent against established football programmes such as AmaTuks at the University of Pretoria.
“Standing on our own when it comes to recruitment is important because it is difficult to compete with the likes of the University of Pretoria due to their professional football wing, AmaTuks,” he said.
The challenge facing the NWU has been complicated by uncertainty around its group-stage opponents. The champions from Gauteng and Mpumalanga are still unresolved due to arbitration matters, leaving participating teams without confirmed opposition days before kick-off.
Coach Malgas believes the uncertainty could work in different ways.
“You might get a side that is not thoroughly prepared because of instability, or a side where the uncertainty has given them a thick skin,” he said.
Despite the uncertainty, the NWU has intensified its analysis work ahead of the tournament.
“We do a lot of analysis. League analysis, opponent analysis and even head coach profile analysis,” he said.
The compact tournament schedule in Mthatha means teams will need depth, discipline and consistency to survive the week-long competition. Coach Malgas says that the NWU will not move away from the approach that helped it win the provincial title.
“Sometimes you cannot change what has been working for you,” he said. “We still maintain our own playing model together with how we prepared the side. It is simple: we play the way we train.”
Although tournament regulations limit the number of players teams can travel with, coach Malgas believes the NWU still has enough depth to compete.
For the university, promotion would represent more than success on the field. The institute marks 20 years of existence in 2027, and coach Malgas sees the possibility of professional status as part of that milestone.
“Getting promoted to the Motsepe Foundation Championship could be a fitting success,” he said. “The university community deserves professional status, and the players will get much better incentives, while their market value increases.”
Coach Nkuleleko Malgas
