South Africa Premier Division Previews, Predictions & Betting Tips

The South African Premier Division is the top football division in the South Africa and is widely referred to as The Premier Soccer League (PSL) in the rainbow nation. The Premier Soccer League was established in 1996 and is currently known as the ABSA Premiership for sponsorship reasons.

Manning Rangers were the first to be crowned champions in 1997. Between 1998 and 2000 the league was dominated by Mamelodi Sundowns who pulled off a hat-trick of titles. The league was made up of 18 teams but that number was reduced to 16 during the 2001/2002 season to avoid fixture congestion.

Mamelodi Sundowns are the most successful team in the PSL with eight titles, four more that bitter Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates and Kaiser Chiefs. Pirates and Sundowns are also the only PSL sides to have tasted glory on the continent in the CAF Champions League.

The top two teams qualify for the CAF Champions League. The third places team qualifies for the CAF Confederation Cup alongside the winner of the South Africa Cup, currently known as the Nedbank Cup. The bottom placed team is relegated to the National First Division and the second last team goes into the payoff tournament.

The PSL attracts some of best talent on the African continent with goalkeeper Denis Onyango voted the 2016 African Player of the year. Siphiwe Tshabalala,  Mark Fish and Lucas Radebe have all previously plied their trade in the PSL.