St Benedict’s edges St John’s to lift St David’s Challenge Cup 2026
Spectators were kept on the edge of their seats as St Benedict’s College defeated St John’s 2–0 in an intense U19 final, capping three days of action featuring 50 Johannesburg school teams.
The St David’s Marist Inanda Challenge Cup 2026 delivered a fitting finale to its biggest tournament yet, with St Benedict’s College overcoming St John’s in a fiercely contested U19 final on August 8.
Held from August 7 to 9, the tournament brought together 50 teams from schools across Johannesburg, with each and every game played keeping spectators on the edge of their seats.
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Among the participating schools was Grey College, Hilton College, Michaelhouse, Jeppe High School for Boys, King Edward VII School, St John’s College, Norkem Park High School, St Benedict’s College, St Stithians College, and hosts St David’s Marist Inanda, whose U19 side returned as the defending Challenge Cup champions, ensuring another highly competitive weekend of football.
After a tense battle in the finals between St Benedict’s and St John’s, in which both sides showed determination and discipline, St Benedict’s secured a 2–0 victory to lift the coveted U19 trophy.
Speaking after the game, St Benedict’s U19 soccer coach Brogan Sanders said the result marked a strong return for the school, after they were knocked out in the quarterfinals of last year’s competition.
“St John’s obviously put up a very good fight. They are a very, very strong team. So, I think the boys showed great grit coming into the game. Fighting for the last minute and making sure that we came together unified to pull off the result.
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“We are very happy, and I’m very excited and happy for the boys to take the win, and hopefully next season get the same results again.”
Despite falling short in the final, St John’s coach Lebo Masake was proud of his team’s performance, particularly considering the limited preparation time available to them. “I’m very proud of the boys, given the fact that this is our second final in a row, but, unfortunately, we’re not able to jump that one header.
“Given the fact that we only have four weeks to prepare the team, I think that the boys did really well.”
The coach acknowledged that fatigue became a factor during the demanding tournament, while also identifying areas the team would need to work on going forward.
“There’s always room for improvement when it comes to football. I think that we had a couple of chances that we did not utilise. I think we also need to correct our finishing, and we made some defensive errors in the beginning of the game. So, those are areas of improvement we need to focus on.”
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Tournament director Bradley Ireland described it as the largest edition in the competition’s history. He said the tournament was launched in 2003 after organisers identified a need for greater football opportunities for boys’ schools in Johannesburg.
He said the tournament began as an U19 competition and has grown substantially over the years, now including the U15 and U12 divisions, as well as an additional U19 section, for teams that do not qualify for the main Challenge Cup.
“This year has been particularly successful. I think it’s the largest we’ve ever had. First time we’ve had 50 teams. The spirit has been fantastic. The way in which the game has been played was excellent.
“The turnout of the spectators was phenomenal, and we had some fantastic support for the full three days. No incidents to speak of, that we had to deal with. I think it was a huge success overall.”
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