SAFA has announced the official programme for the 2026 Hollywoodbets Super League season, which will be a two-streamed format, and the starting dates for the campaign on 22-24 May 2026 at the University of Johannesburg Soweto campus.
Super Era stream is headlined by defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies. They have TS Galaxy, University of Western Cape (UWC), UJ, newcomers Stellenbosch and Diepkloof Ladies, University of Pretoria and Ezemvelo FC.
The Super Rise stream consists of JVW FC, Tshwane University of Technology, University of Fort Hare, Copperbelt Ladies FC, Richmond United, City Lads, First Touch Academy and newbies Ramatlaohle.
iDiski Times understands there will be 15 Festivals in total this season in all nine provinces with SAFA responsible for booking of stadia, EMS and security.
The first weekend of festivals will have eight matches with Sundowns facing Diepkloof, Amatuks against Ezemvelo, UJ vs Stellies and Galaxy against UWC. In the other stream, JVW who finished second last term, open the new season against Limpopo’s newly promoted side Ramatlaohle, TUT vs City Lads, Copperbelt face Richmond and Fort Hare are up against First Touch.
The named venues for the campaign as per a document seen by iDiski Times are UJ, Tuks/TUT/Lucas Moripe Stadium for Gauteng, Polokwane in Limpopo, KwaMhlanga and Kanyamazane for Mpumalanga, Durban for Kwa Zulu Natal, Alice and Gqeberha for Eastern Cape, Kimberly for Northern Cape, UWC/Stellenbosch for Western Cape and Bloemfontein for Free State.
The Association will also be responsible for accommodation of travelling teams for the festivals only. The winners of both streams will receive trophies with the prize monies not changing. The bottom teams in both streams will be relegated.
Meanwhile, SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao said at the launch that the changes were brought about the need for more visibility of the women’s game and commercialisation.
“The teams in Group A, won’t have the opportunity to play the teams in Group B except towards the end when we have a playoff,” said Monyepao on SABC TV.
“In terms of time, we were really tight in terms of how can we squeeze 240 games that we normally get with 16 teams playing one another. So, this format, really came into mind, and we are like this is going to work for us. And also, if we think about what’s going to happen you increase the visibility of the games because we are looking to have festivals.
“So, it means you’re talking about the number of fans that attend the women’s game, we’ll see more fans coming through the festivals. We’ll see more fans watching the games on television, because now all the teams, all the players, get an opportunity to be seen on television.”
“So, I think that’s a great opportunity for our players, and also us SAFA from a woman’s football strategy perspective, because from commercialization and visibility of the league, talking to our pillars of women’s football strategy. It addresses that it needs more women’s football on television and visibility to our fans.”
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