Sipho Chaine warns Orlando Pirates ahead of 2026/27 season

Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine has sent a stern warning to his team ahead of the highly-anticipated 2026/27 PSL campaign set to commence on Saturday, 01 August.

The Soweto giants head into the new season as the defending treble champions, having clinched the Betway Premiership, the Carling Knockout Cup, and the MTN8 last season.

Notably, Pirates ended Mamelodi Sundowns' dominance of eight consecutive league titles, ending their own 14-year drought for a championship in the process.

With the 2026/27 campaign fast approaching, Chaine has cautioned that the methods which proved successful last term won't necessarily yield the same results next season.

“A different mindset, a different season. What worked in 2025/26 won't work in 2026/27. More from ourselves, more from everyone that is connected to Orlando Pirates, that's the most important thing,” said the Bucs shot-stopper.

"A different mindset of achieving even greater things, a mindset that you are now the chased and you are not chasing. And it requires a different overall perspective of what you are coming up against.

Having finished head and shoulders above the rest of the pack in the Betway Premiership last term, the 2025/26 Goalkeeper of the Season has downplayed the notion that Pirates have added pressure in the upcoming campaign.

“It just depends on how you look at it, from your [journalists] perspective it might be the same. But with us, winning a league championship is not about just a trophy, we have goals and aspirations within the season,” Chaine added.

"And working towards that is the most important thing because setting the bar high gives you the league championship rather than the league being the ultimate goal.

Pirates, meanwhile, will get their title defense underway with a clash against newly promoted side Milford FC at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday, 01 August.

Hlayisani Magoro

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Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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