The Betway Premiership's 2026 Transfer Market

Football · Betway Premiership 2026/27

Betway Premiership Summer Transfer Window  |  2026/27 Season

South Africa's Betway Premiership has just been through one of its most eventful transfer windows in memory, with more than 160 new signings recorded across the league by the time clubs finalized their squads for the 2026/27 season. The headlines belonged to the "big three" — Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs — but the window's biggest story arguably wasn't a transfer at all: the continued exodus of South African talent to European and North American football, headlined by 2025/26 Player of the Season Relebohile Mofokeng's move to Belgium.

Orlando Pirates raid Chloorkop for Mbule

Defending Betway Premiership champions Orlando Pirates dominated the transfer headlines with the volume of their business. The signing that generated the most conversation was midfielder Sipho Mbule, who crossed the great Soweto divide by joining Pirates from Mamelodi Sundowns. Mbule had spent three years on Sundowns' books following his 2022 move from SuperSport United but was loaned out to Sekhukhune United in September 2024, with his off-field conduct also drawing media scrutiny in the years since. Pirates also strengthened their attack with the signing of Norwegian second-division striker Sebastien Pedersen, who arrives with a strong scoring reputation, having netted 59 goals in 166 appearances before his move to South Africa, as the Buccaneers prepare to defend their title and compete in the CAF Champions League. New Zealand international André de Jong was also confirmed as a Pirates signing.

The club's business wasn't confined to arrivals, however. Mofokeng — who scored 11 goals and provided nine assists across all competitions in Pirates' treble-winning 2025/26 campaign — completed his long-speculated move to Belgian Pro League side Union Saint-Gilloise following a strong FIFA World Cup showing, becoming the latest and highest-profile South African talent to make the leap to European football.

Mamelodi Sundowns: a quieter window with one seismic exit

Mamelodi Sundowns made the biggest headlines once again even without a flurry of signings, as the departure of Lucas Ribeiro Costa opened a transfer saga with potential ripple effects across South African football.

Sundowns' summer was defined less by who they signed than by who they lost. Star striker Peter Shalulile, the PSL's all-time leading goalscorer, left Chloorkop as a free agent after a reduced role last season, with Brayan León establishing himself as head coach Miguel Cardoso's preferred central striker off the back of an outstanding scoring campaign. While Sundowns appear well covered up front in Shalulile's absence, his availability as a proven, prolific free agent raised the prospect that a direct title rival could benefit significantly from his experience and goalscoring pedigree.

On the incoming side, Sundowns moved relatively late in the window, bringing in midfielder Miguel Reisinho and attacking midfielder/winger Nuno Santos to help fill the void left by Ribeiro Costa's exit. Earlier in the window, the reigning league and CAF Champions League holders had already added attacking midfielder Tsiki Ntsabeleng on loan from Golden Arrows and Bafana Bafana left-back Fawaaz Basadien from Stellenbosch FC, while also bringing in Etiosa Ighodaro and taking Khanyisa Mayo on loan from Algerian side CR Belouizdad.

Kaizer Chiefs continue their squad rebuild

Kaizer Chiefs were also busy, with sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jnr overseeing a wave of new additions as the Naturena-based club looks to close the gap on the league's traditional front-runners. The Glamour Boys raided title rivals Orlando Pirates directly for two players, signing full-back Paseka Mako and midfielder Thabiso Monyane, while also bringing in Siphesihle Ndlovu following the dissolution of SuperSport United. Chiefs further strengthened by signing midfielder Adolf Mtasingwa Bitegeko from Tanzanian side Azam FC, and added Etiosa Ighodaro, Asanele Velebayi and Luke Baartman from PSL rivals including Cape Town Spurs, rounding out one of the most extensive squad rebuilds of any club in the division this summer.

South African talent heads abroad

Beyond the domestic shuffling, the window was also notable for the volume of South African talent departing for opportunities overseas. Alongside Mofokeng's move to Union Saint-Gilloise, defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi completed a move to MLS side Chicago Fire FC, later joined in the United States by TS Galaxy winger Puso Dithejane, a Kaizer Chiefs academy product. In England, Stellenbosch FC's Tylon Smith — named Player of the Tournament at the recent U20 Africa Cup of Nations — signed for Championship side Queens Park Rangers, joining fellow South African Luke le Roux, who moved to Portsmouth. In Germany, centre-back Ime Okon left SuperSport United to join second-tier side Hannover 96 on a contract running through 2029.

Notable confirmed moves at a glance

Player	Move
Relebohile Mofokeng	Orlando Pirates → Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium)
Sipho Mbule	Mamelodi Sundowns → Orlando Pirates
Peter Shalulile	Mamelodi Sundowns → Free agent
Paseka Mako	Orlando Pirates → Kaizer Chiefs
Thabiso Monyane	Orlando Pirates → Kaizer Chiefs
Fawaaz Basadien	Stellenbosch FC → Mamelodi Sundowns
Mbekezeli Mbokazi	PSL → Chicago Fire FC (MLS)
Tylon Smith	Stellenbosch FC → Queens Park Rangers (England)
Ime Okon	SuperSport United → Hannover 96 (Germany)
Sebastien Pedersen	Sogndal (Norway) → Orlando Pirates

What it means for the season ahead

With Mofokeng's departure removing the reigning Player of the Season from the Betway Premiership and Shalulile still available as a free agent, this window has genuine potential to reshape the competitive balance at the top of the table. Orlando Pirates head into their title defence with a deeper, more experienced squad after their aggressive business, Sundowns face the task of replacing Ribeiro Costa's creativity with late-window additions, and Kaizer Chiefs will hope an 11-player rebuild finally delivers the sustained challenge for silverware that has eluded them in recent seasons. Whichever club ultimately benefits from Shalulile's availability as a free agent may find themselves with the transfer window's biggest bargain once the season gets fully underway.

Sources

• Soccer Laduma — "All The 26/27 PSL Transfers!"
• Sunday Independent — "Five transfers that could define the 2026/2027 Betway Premiership season"
• SBNews — "Biggest transfers and signings ahead of the new PSL campaign"
• Hollywoodbets Sports Blog — "PSL Transfers: Biggest Moves and Signings Ahead of the New Campaign"
• ESPN Africa — "From Ribeiro to Mbule - South African Premiership transfer window the most consequential in memory"
• ESPN Africa — "Betway Premiership transfer tracker - Who's coming and going in this PSL transfer window"
• Goal.com South Africa — "PSL transfer news: Latest Betway Premiership rumours"

Also Read: Laliga 2026 Transfer Market

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