Top 3 Football Tournament | 13 June 2026
Baroka FC opened their post-relegation off-season with a one-day invitational at Mafori Mphahlele Stadium on Saturday. The “Top 4 Football Tournament” brought Bela Bela Academy and Hyenas United to Ga-Mphahlele for a three-match round-robin — Bakgakga’s first competitive afternoon at home since the senior side was relegated to the ABC Motsepe League in May.
The format
Three teams, three matches, one day. Baroka opened the schedule at 09:00 against Bela Bela Academy, Bela Bela played Hyenas United at noon, and Baroka closed the day against Hyenas United at 15:00. The poster billing of “Semi Final 1” for the opening kickoff was a misnomer — the format is round-robin, with the standings after the three matches deciding the winner. The club did not publish a final result on official channels.
Why a tournament now
Baroka have been quiet for most of the off-season. Chairman Khurishi Mphahlele has ruled out buying a Premiership status and committed the club to working its way back through the divisions, with a three-year horizon for a return to professional football. A community tournament at the home ground is the first piece of visible activity since that pledge — a low-cost, low-pressure way to keep the gates open, the staff working, and the local football community engaged at a moment when the alternative was a silent summer. Hosting a Limpopo development academy is also a useful talent-ID exercise for a club that has to rebuild from a much lower starting line.
