Kaizer Chiefs FC crest

Kaizer Chiefs FC

Amakhosi

League

Premier Soccer League

Founded

1970

City

Johannesburg

Status

Active

13×
League titles
Community Hub

Discuss Chiefs on Afroduma

Debate tactics, transfer news, and relive historic South Africa football moments with Kaizer Chiefs FC supporters.

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Founded
1970
Stadium
FNB Stadium
Capacity
94,736
Manager
Nasreddine Nabi
Chairman
Kaizer Motaung
Titles
13
Main rival
Orlando Pirates

About the club

Kaizer Chiefs FC is the most-supported football club in South Africa, with 13 league titles, a 1970 founder-story that still defines Johannesburg football, and the other half of the Soweto Derby. The 2015–16 MTN8 remains their last major trophy, and the current rebuild under Tunisian head coach Nasreddine Nabi is the longest project Amakhosi have run since the 2000s. The club carries Kaizer Motaung's footballing legacy, now run by the second generation of the family.

Founded by Kaizer Motaung — who left Orlando Pirates to start his own club; originally named 'Kaizer XI' before settling on Kaizer Chiefs.

"Love and Peace"

emoji_eventsHonours

Competition Wins Last Note
PSL / Betway Premiership / NSL 13 2014–15 4 PSL-era titles; 9 NSL-era titles (pre-1996)
CAF Champions League 0 — Runners-up in 2021 (lost to Al-Ahly in Casablanca)
Nedbank Cup 13 2012–13 None
MTN8 15 2025–26 SA record — won 2024–25 and 2025–26 back to back under Nabi
Telkom Knockout (defunct) 10 2014 None

workspace_premiumRecent titles

  • 2014–15 vs SuperSport United · 3 points
    Top scorer: Bernard Parker (8)
  • 2012–13 vs Orlando Pirates · 6 points
    Top scorer: Knowledge Musona (11)
  • 2009–10 vs Mamelodi Sundowns · 3 points
    Top scorer: Siphiwe Tshabalala (8)
  • 2004–05 vs Orlando Pirates · 4 points
    Top scorer: Arthur Zwane (7)

scoreboardNotable matches

  • 1970
    Pirates 1–0 Chiefs (founding fixture, 24 January)

    First ever Soweto Derby per Wikipedia — Orlando Pirates won the inaugural meeting. The rivalry that would define SA football.

  • 2004
    Chiefs 1–0 Pirates (agg)

    Nedbank Cup final won 1–0 — Siyabonga Nkosi scored the only goal at a sold-out FNB Stadium.

  • 2015
    Chiefs 0–0 Polokwane City

    Title-clinching day of the 2014–15 PSL season — the most recent major league trophy.

  • 2021
    Chiefs 0–3 Al-Ahly

    CAF Champions League final loss in Casablanca — the deepest-ever CAF CL run by a South African club other than Sundowns and Pirates.

Key players

IK
Itumeleng Khune
Goalkeeper
Club legend — 20-year one-club career winding down
MS
Mduduzi Shabalala
Midfielder
Bafana Bafana-eligible academy graduate
AP
Ashley Du Preez
Striker
Current first-choice forward under Nabi

Club legends

K
Kaizer Motaung
1970–1982 (as player) · 1982– (chairman)

Club founder — left Pirates to start Chiefs. Now the owner-chairman

D
Doctor Khumalo
1987–2002

Arguably the most iconic midfielder in South African football history

L
Lucas Radebe
1989–1994

Captain who left for Leeds United and became a Premier League and Bafana icon

S
Siphiwe Tshabalala
2007–2018

Scored the opening goal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup for South Africa — Chiefs' most-capped international

stadium
Home ground

FNB Stadium

Johannesburg · 94,736 capacity
Stadium guidearrow_forward
local_fire_department
Main rivalry

Soweto Derby

vs Orlando Pirates

Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates is the Soweto Derby — the biggest football fixture in South Africa and one of the most-watched club games on the African continent. The rivalry dates...

Derby pagearrow_forward

help Frequently Asked Questions

How many league titles have Kaizer Chiefs won? add
Kaizer Chiefs have won 13 top-flight South African league titles across the NSL (pre-1996) and PSL eras combined. Their most recent league title is the 2014–15 PSL season. The club has also won 13 Nedbank Cups and 15 MTN8s — SA records in both competitions.
Where do Kaizer Chiefs play? add
Chiefs play their biggest matches at FNB Stadium ('Soccer City') in Soweto, capacity 94,736 — Africa's largest football stadium. They also use Orlando Stadium and Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane for select fixtures. FNB is where the 2010 FIFA World Cup final was hosted.
Who owns Kaizer Chiefs? add
Kaizer Chiefs is owned by the Motaung family. Founder Kaizer Motaung — the former Atlanta Chiefs and Orlando Pirates player who established Chiefs in 1970 — remains the majority owner and long-standing chairman. Day-to-day executive responsibilities are shared with his son Kaizer Motaung Jnr and club CEO.
Why are Kaizer Chiefs called Amakhosi? add
'Amakhosi' is isiZulu for 'chiefs' or 'kings' — a direct reference to the club name chosen by Kaizer Motaung when he founded the club in 1970. The gold-and-black colour scheme was adopted at the same time, inspired by the Atlanta Chiefs NASL side Motaung had played for on loan in the US.
Have Kaizer Chiefs won the CAF Champions League? add
No. Chiefs' closest finish was the 2021 CAF Champions League final, which they lost 0–3 to Egypt's Al-Ahly in Casablanca. It was the deepest-ever CAF CL run by any South African club outside Sundowns (winners 2016) and Orlando Pirates (winners 1995).
What is the Soweto Derby? add
The Soweto Derby is Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates — South Africa's biggest football fixture and one of the most-watched club games in Africa. The rivalry dates to 1970 when Kaizer Motaung left Pirates to form Chiefs. Fixtures at FNB Stadium regularly draw 85,000+.
How much do Kaizer Chiefs players earn? add
Kaizer Chiefs player salaries sit in the ZAR 200,000–450,000 per month range for senior first-team players, with top earners above that. Chiefs' wage bill is traditionally one of the two or three biggest in the PSL, though Mamelodi Sundowns has had a comfortable top-spender advantage since 2018.

Related

Rival Orlando Pirates (Soweto Derby) arrow_forward Rival Mamelodi Sundowns arrow_forward League Premier Soccer League arrow_forward Country Football in South Africa arrow_forward

Last updated 2026-04-21 · written by Naledi Mokoena.