On a day when the world paused to recognise soccer’s reach, its ability to cross borders, build bridges, and shape the lives of young people – South Africa had its own chapter to add. The Curro Halala Cup regional play-offs have concluded across the country, and 16 schools have earned their place at the grand finale.

World Football Day, observed annually on May 25, acknowledges the sport’s role not only in competition but in commerce, peace, diplomacy and youth development. It is a day that recognises the grassroots work happening in communities and schools – the foundational phase that produces players, leaders, and citizens. What unfolded at Curro school grounds across country this weekend was precisely that kind of work, made visible.

The Halala Cup’s 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.”

In Mpumalanga, Curro Nelspruit eliminated Barberton High Schools, who were last year’s Mpumalanga champions in the Halala Cup and had been at the 2025 grand finale in a tense penalty shoot-out. After the score was level at 1-1 at full-time, Curro Nelspruit triumphed 5-4 in the subsequent shoot-out to book their spot in the grand finale. This is a result that confirms no programme, however established, is safe once the knockouts begin.

Elsewhere, Kay Motsepe Schools Championship victors St Mark’s International School, who are newcomers to the Halala Cup, barely dropped a beat. They looked a level above the rest throughout, securing a 2-1 win over Portia Shabangu Secondary School to book their grand finale spot.

Barberton then defeated Portia Shabangu 1-0 to take third place in Mpumalanga, and leave themselves with a shot at securing a wildcard spot for the grand finale. St Mark’s, meanwhile, triumphed 2-0 over Curro Nelspruit to finish first in Mpumalanga, while the hosts secured second place in the province.

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 in just a year with her team. “The Curro Halala Cup is more than a tournament,” she says. “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.”

All roads now lead to HeronBridge College, where the finals of the Curro Halala Cup will take place in August. A total of 24 teams will compete for the title. This includes the 16 teams that qualified through the regional 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,” says Van der Merwe. “HeronBridge College will be the heartbeat of this celebration, and we can’t wait to see what unfolds.”

What unfolds will reflect months of preparation, regional competition, and the defining moments of this past weekend – penalties taken and saved, goals scored and disallowed, teams that fell short by a single point, and teams that held their nerve when it mattered most.