Pirates Outrank Chiefs As SA's Strongest Football Brand

Orlando Pirates have beaten out rivals, Kaizer Chiefs as the strongest football brand in the country, according to new research. 

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The story

An international research company, Brand Finance Africa conducted a study into the country's top 100 most valuable brands and terms of sports brands, the Buccaners are outdoing the Glamour Boys.

Although the Springboks topped the sporting brand rankings, the Soweto giants are still the strongest football brands in the country, with the MTN8, Nedbank Cup and Betway Premiership ranking in the top 3 competitions. 

Chiefs and Pirates weren't able to break into the Brand Finance South Africa 100 2025 rankings, with the Boks being the only sports team in the exclusive list, boasting a brand value of R2.2 billion and positioned at 50th.

The Springbok brand valuation as the strongest South African sports team in any sporting code, is supported by the Brand Finance's SA Sports Report which gives them a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 91.9 out of 100.

The back-to-back World rugby champions hold a significant lead over other prominent Mzansi sporting teams such, wit Pirates scoring a BSI of 83.2 and Chiefs slightly behind with 82.6, while the Proteas Men's cricket side managed a 79.9 score.

"Sport remains one of the most potent forces for South African unification. Few symbols resonate as strongly across racial, cultural, and social divides as the Springboks. According to Brand Finance data, 56% of South African sports fans rate the Springboks as their favourite team—a significant lead over the Proteas at 48% and far surpassing leading football teams like Orlando Pirates (21%) and Kaizer Chiefs (25%),"  stated the managing director of Brand Finance Africa, Oliver Schmitz.

"This widespread support cements the team's status as a national icon and highlights its potential to act as a cohesive force across the country, added Schmitz.

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