Waterstone College hosts Curro Halala Cup regional play-offs
The tournament produce tight margins and big moments.
Waterstone College hosted the Curro Halala Cup regional play-offs for the Gauteng 3 regional teams on May 23.
Four teams participated, including Waterstone College, Curro Soshanguve, Steyn City High School and CBC Mount Edmund. The Curro Halala Cup regional play-offs concluded across the country, and 16 schools have earned their place at the grand finale from August 14 to 16.
Where the competition got real
The regional round-robins did what they were designed to do: they sorted out the top teams from the bottom, often by considerable margins. But once the knockout phase began, the nature of the competition changed entirely.
“The play-offs became much tighter,” says Cindy van der Merwe, portfolio manager, Curro Sport. “So many matches were decided by a single goal or penalties. The margins were incredibly fine.”
Other games were played in the Western Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
Gauteng produced its own drama. Rosina Sedibane moved through their pool comfortably, but Gauteng 3 was a different story.
Waterstone College, widely regarded as a genuine football powerhouse, finished third in the pool, losing narrowly to CBC Mount Edmund before defeating Steyn City 6-1. CBC then beat Curro Soshanguve 3-0, leaving Waterstone out of the finals despite a performance that suggested they belonged in the conversation.
Flora Park High School and Westenburg contested a tense first-versus-second play-off, settled only by a single goal.
@southern.courier Waterstone College hosted the Curro Halala Cup regional play-offs for the Gauteng 3 regional teams on May 23. Full story on southerncourier.co.za
In Gauteng 1, Clapham High School and Meridian Cosmo City qualified after beating Queens High School 3-0 and Curro Clayville 4-1. In Gauteng 2, Rosina Sedibane and Vaal High School qualified after defeating Mondeor High School 2-0 and Curro Hazeldean 2-0. In Gauteng 3, Curro Soshanguve and CBC Mount Edmund qualified after beating Steyn City 5-1 and Waterstone College 3-2.
What this tournament is built on
The tournament was established to create a national competitive platform for school football, and it is open to top-performing schools.
That distinction matters. It signals intent: this is not a closed event for a single school group, but an open competition designed to find the best.
Van der Merwe, who has watched the competition grow from just a year with her team, said, “The Curro Halala Cup is more than a tournament. It is a platform for young people to dream, grow, and connect. We know the next round will show off everything that’s good about youth sport in South Africa, the talent, the heart, the hope and the unity it brings.”
August at HeronBridge College
All roads now lead to HeronBridge College, where the grand finale of the Curro Halala Cup will take place in August. A total of 24 boys’ teams will compete for the title.
This includes the 16 boys’ teams who qualified through the regional round-robin and play-off tournaments.
They will be joined by four wild-card entries, which will be announced this week, as well as the automatic qualifiers from the top four finishers of the 2025 edition: Meridian Northern Academy, Norkem Park High School, Grey College, and Navalsig High School.
“We are so proud of the schools that made it through. HeronBridge College will be the heartbeat of this celebration, and we can’t wait to see what unfolds,” said Van der Merwe.
For more information and regular updates, follow them on Facebook (@CurroSport1) and Instagram (@curro.sport).
