Football Makes a Return this August: Here’s What to Look Forward To
Football fans will be happy to hear that many major leagues kick off the new season in August. This includes both local and international leagues such as Mzansi’s own Premier Soccer League, the English Premier League and Spanish La Liga. A tip is to check out the odds of your favourite team before the start of the season. Teams that didn’t do well last season but have the potential to do well this season sometimes carry good odds. You can bet on soccer and have a look at the latest odds for all the matches taking place in August on Sportingbet.
What are some of the best local and international competitions to look forward to?
MTN 8
The MTN 8, one of our most exciting football tournaments, is nearing the end with the final taking place on 13 September. The competition offers prize money, which rewards the winning team with a pretty cool ten million Rand bonus.
The quarter finals took place this past weekend and offered some exciting matches with unexpected results. Orlando Pirates booked their spot in the semis by beating Polokwane City in Soweto. The score after the final whistle was 2-0. Sekhukhune United stunned with an unexpected comeback to win the match against TS Galaxy. They trailed with two goals but managed to come back and win the match 3-2. Stellenbosch FC beat Amazulu 3-2 to secure their place in the semi-final. Mamelodi Sundowns, still carrying some momentum from the FIFA Club World Cup, beat Richards Bay 4-0 on Sunday.
The semi-finals are made up of two legs, with the first leg matches to be played over the weekend of the 15th and 22nd of August. Mamelodi Sundowns face Orlando Pirates in their first semi-final match, and Sekhukhune United take on Stellenbosch FC in their first clash.
South African Premier Soccer League
The Premier Soccer League kicks off with a new season this weekend. The 2024-2025 season saw Mamelodi Sundowns continue on their PSL winning streak by taking the title for an eighth time, which saw them take home an eye-watering 20 million Rand for winning the 2024-2025 season. 16 teams will be participating in the competition, which stretches over a period of 11 months and comes to a close at the end of May 2026.
English Premier League
The start of the world’s favourite football tournament, the English Premier League, is around the corner. Liverpool supporters are still celebrating their first win in years, but will they be able to hold onto the title for a second time? Three new teams get promoted to the league each year. Leicester City, Ipswich and Southampton were all relegated from the Championship to make way for the new teams. Burnley, Sunderland and Leeds United have all been promoted to the new season. 20 teams take part in the league that will wrap up in mid-2026. The first games in Matchday 1 out of 38 will take place next weekend.
La Liga
Spain’s biggest football league, La Liga, also starts next weekend, along with the EPL. Barcelona won last year’s tournament for the 28th time to secure them the title of Spain’s best football club. The tournament also has 20 teams vying for the title, with three teams relegated and three teams promoted to the next season.
It will be hard to keep track of all the football action with so many matches taking place at the same time. Will Real Madrid make a comeback and take on the giants in Spanish football? Or will Manchester City reclaim the EPL title?
Photo cred: Facebook | English Premier League
