Top 10 Richest Football Clubs In South Africa 2021

Check here for full details on the top 10 richest football clubs in South Africa. The Premier Soccer League known as PSL for short is the national sports association responsible for administering the two professional football divisions in South Africa which are the South African Premier Division and the National First Division. The headquarters of the PSL is in Johannesburg, South Africa. The PSL was formed after an agreement was reached between the National Soccer League and the remnants of the defunct National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). The association currently acts as a governing body and also as a competition organizer. The PSL is affiliated to the South African Football Association known as SAFA for short but SAFA does not govern PSL organized competitions.

The National First Division known as NFD for short is the second-highest league of South African club soccer. Teams that get relegated from the PSL organized divisions get to compete in the SAFA Second Division. We will be discussing the top 10 wealthiest football clubs in South Africa. Without a doubt, the top 10 richest football clubs compete in the PSL top-flight and are some of the most popular names in South African football. Even though football is not the national sport of South Africa, it still enjoys a lot of followership in the country. This led to FIFA awarding the hosting right of the 2010 FIFA World cup to South Africa, the first African nation to be so honored. South Africa did not disappoint and went ahead to stage a great and memorable tournament in 2010. So, which are the richest football clubs in South Africa currently? Find out below.

Top 10 Richest Football Clubs In South Africa

1. Mamelodi Sundowns

Topping this list with a whopping net worth value of $11 million is Mamelodi Sundowns. The club officially became a football club in the year 1970. The club gained promotion to the National Soccer League in the year 1983. Sundowns have been crowned champions of the Premier Soccer League a record 8 times. The club is, in fact, the reigning champion of the top division of South African club football. The club is currently the most successful club playing in the PSL. Patrice Motsepe purchased the club in the year 2004.

2. Kaizer Chiefs

In second place is Kaizer Chiefs. The football club was founded in the year 1970 when Kaizer Motaung returned from the United States of America where he had been playing football for the Atlanta Chiefs. He then combined his first name with Atlanta Chiefs to create the name Kaizer Chiefs for the football club he founded which is quite a cool thing. The Kaizer Chiefs football club has been crowned champions of the Premier Soccer League four times. To further give an insight into how big this football club is in South Africa, it is the most supported football team in the country with well over 16 million fans supporting the club. The club is valued to be worth $9.1 million.

3. Supersport United

SuperSport United was established in the year 1994 when M-Net purchased Pretoria City in the National Soccer League. The club has been playing in the top flight ever since. The club successfully won the Premier Soccer League title on 3 occasions consecutively. The value of the club is put at $7.9 million currently.

4. Bidvest Wits

The second position goes to Bidvest Wits. The club was originally founded in the year 1921 making it one of the oldest football clubs in South Africa. Bidvest Wits was formerly known as Wit University FC. It is however not the same as the current Wits University FC who represent the University of the Witwatersrand based in the city of Johannesburg. It is important to make this distinction so as to avoid getting confused over the two names. The club gained promotion to the National Football League in the year 1975.

In 2005 the club finished at the bottom of the PSL and was subsequently relegated to the lower division. The club then won the Mvela Golden League (National First Division) for the first time asking and gained promotion back to the PSL in 2005/06 season. Bidvest Wits are the immediate past champions of the PSL as they won the league in the 2016/17 season but they have since relinquished the title to Mamelodi Sundowns who are the reigning champions.

5. Orlando Pirates

Orlando Pirates football club with a value of $6.9 million is next on this list of the richest football clubs in South Africa. The football club was established in the year 1937 in Orlando East, Soweto. The club was originally called Orlando Boys Club. The club won the Division Two title and gained promotion to the first division in the year 1944. The club was renamed to Orlando Pirates after it gained promotion in 1944. Orlando Pirates has won the PSL title four times.

6. Platinum Stars FC

Coming in sixth on the list of the most valuable club in PSL with an estimated net worth of $6.1 Million is Platinum Stars FC.

7. Cape Town City

Leading the bottom half of this list is the Cape Town City football club. The club was formed quite recently in 2016 after the purchase of the Mpumalanga Black Aces franchise. The team was renamed and then relocated to Cape Town. Cape Town football club originally dates as far back as the 1960s.

8. Bloemfontein Celtic

Based in Bloemfontein, with a large fan base in the Free State, Bloemfontein Celtic comes eighth on the ranking list.

9. Chippa United FC

The name Chippa United FC was registered in 2010 when Paarl based Mbekweni Cosmos Vodacom League franchise was purchased. In 2012, Chippa finished its debut NFD season in 2nd place and gained promotion to the PSL via the playoffs. The club could only end the 2012/13 PSL season in 15th place and got relegated after failing to win the playoffs. The club did win the NFD in the 2013/14 season and got promoted back to the PSL where it has remained ever since.

10. Ajax Cape Town

Ajax Cape Town football club was formed in the year 1999 when two Cape Town-based teams, Seven Stars and Cape Town Spurs were combined because of the expansion of AFC Ajax’s worldwide feeder program to South Africa. The club has been a regular feature in the PSL since the 1999/00 season but has never won the league. The club can lay a bold claim to beating Kaizer Chiefs in their very first official game. The value of the club is estimated at roughly $4.2 Million.

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These are the top ten richest football clubs currently featuring in club football competitions in South Africa.