Orlando Pirates FC crest

Orlando Pirates FC

The Buccaneers / Ezika Magebhula

League

Premier Soccer League

Founded

1937

City

Johannesburg

Status

Active

4×
League titles
Community Hub

Discuss Pirates on Afroduma

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

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Founded
1937
Stadium
Orlando Stadium
Capacity
37,313
Manager
José Riveiro
Chairman
Irvin Khoza
Titles
4
CAF CL
1×
Main rival
Kaizer Chiefs

About the club

Orlando Pirates FC are one of South Africa's foundational football institutions: founded in 1937 in Soweto's Orlando East, 1995 CAF Champions League winners, and one half of the Soweto Derby that draws 90,000 to FNB Stadium. Four PSL titles, two African trophies, and the biggest supporter base in South African football outside the Sundowns dynasty. Pirates gave African football Jomo Sono, Lucas Radebe, Benni McCarthy and, now, Relebohile Mofokeng.

Founded by Andries 'Pele Pele' Mkhwanazi and a group of Orlando East youth footballers.

"Once a Pirate, Always a Pirate"

emoji_eventsHonours

Competition Wins Last Note
PSL / Betway Premiership 4 2011–12 Back-to-back in 2010–11 and 2011–12
CAF Champions League 1 1995 First South African club to win the competition
CAF Super Cup 1 1996 None
Nedbank Cup 10 2023–24 SA record
MTN8 10 2023–24 SA record
Telkom Knockout (defunct) 4 2014 None

workspace_premiumRecent titles

  • 2011–12 vs SuperSport United · 4 points
    Top scorer: Benni McCarthy (9)
  • 2010–11 vs Ajax Cape Town · 3 points
    Top scorer: Siyabonga Sangweni (8)
  • 2002–03 vs Kaizer Chiefs · 3 points
    Top scorer: Benedict McCarthy (13)
  • 2000–01 vs Kaizer Chiefs · 6 points
    Top scorer: Lucas Liau (12)

scoreboardNotable matches

  • 1995
    Pirates 1–0 ASEC Mimosas (agg 3–2)

    CAF Champions League final second leg — first (and long the only) SA club to win it.

  • 1996
    Pirates 1–0 DC Motema Pembe

    CAF Super Cup won in Kinshasa — Mark Fish header the winner.

  • 2013
    Pirates 0–1 Al-Ahly (agg 1–2)

    CAF Champions League final loss — still the closest SA run to the trophy since 1995.

  • 2024
    Pirates 2–1 Mamelodi Sundowns (MTN8)

    Mofokeng's solo goal to win MTN8 final at Orlando Stadium — a 40,000 sellout.

Key players

RM
Relebohile Mofokeng
Winger
Breakout South African winger; 2024 GQ SA Sportsperson of the Year
TM
Thalente Mbatha
Midfielder
Bafana Bafana defensive midfielder; signed permanently in 2024

Club legends

J
Jomo Sono
1969–1977

Icon of the 1970s Pirates side — later founded Jomo Cosmos

M
Mark Fish
1994–1995

1995 CAF Champions League-winning defender — signed for Lazio after the final

B
Benni McCarthy
2011–2013

Returning Bafana icon; 2011–12 PSL title winner with Pirates

stadium
Home ground

Orlando Stadium

Johannesburg · 37,313 capacity
Stadium guidearrow_forward
local_fire_department
Main rivalry

Soweto Derby

vs Kaizer Chiefs

Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs is the Soweto Derby — the biggest football fixture in South Africa and one of the three most-watched club matches in Africa. The rivalry is historical:...

Derby pagearrow_forward

help Frequently Asked Questions

How many PSL titles have Orlando Pirates won? add
Pirates have won 4 PSL titles — 2000–01, 2002–03, 2010–11 and 2011–12. The last two were back-to-back championships under Ruud Krol. Their domestic cup record is far stronger: 10 Nedbank Cups and 10 MTN8s, both South African records.
Where do Orlando Pirates play? add
Pirates play at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, capacity 37,313 (per Wikipedia). The stadium is a short walk from the club's original Orlando East location. Bigger fixtures, especially Soweto Derbies, are staged at FNB Stadium (94,736) elsewhere in Johannesburg.
Who owns Orlando Pirates? add
Orlando Pirates is owned by Irvin Khoza, a long-standing South African football administrator who also chairs the Premier Soccer League. Khoza bought a controlling stake in the club in 1991 and has been its chairman and principal owner for more than three decades.
Why are Orlando Pirates called the Buccaneers? add
The club adopted the Buccaneers / pirate theme shortly after its 1937 founding, inspired by the 'Mutiny on the Bounty' film era and the imagery of skull-and-crossbones as an outsider identity. The black-and-white colour scheme and the 'Once a Pirate, Always a Pirate' motto all date from this period.
Have Orlando Pirates won the CAF Champions League? add
Yes — once, in 1995. Pirates beat Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas on aggregate in the final, becoming the first South African club to win the CAF Champions League. They also won the 1996 CAF Super Cup and reached the 2013 Champions League final, losing 1–2 on aggregate to Egypt's Al-Ahly.
What is the Soweto Derby? add
Soweto Derby is the Pirates–Kaizer Chiefs fixture — the biggest football match in South Africa and one of the three most-watched club games on the continent. The rivalry dates to 1970 when Kaizer Motaung, a Pirates legend, left to form Kaizer Chiefs. Fixtures at FNB Stadium regularly draw 85,000+.
How much do Orlando Pirates players earn? add
Orlando Pirates player salaries sit in the ZAR 250,000–500,000 per month range for senior first-team regulars, with top earners (captains, Bafana Bafana internationals) above that. Pirates are second only to Mamelodi Sundowns in PSL wage spend; Relebohile Mofokeng's upgraded 2024 deal is reported as one of the highest-ever paid to a player under 21 in South African football.

Related

Rival Kaizer Chiefs (Soweto Derby) arrow_forward Rival Mamelodi Sundowns arrow_forward League Premier Soccer League arrow_forward Country Football in South Africa arrow_forward Player Relebohile Mofokeng arrow_forward

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