Carling Knockout Last Eight to Learn Quarter-Final Opponents on Wednesday
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has confirmed that the Carling Knockout quarter-final draw will take place on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, immediately after the Round of 16 encounter between Durban City and Stellenbosch FC at Chatsworth Stadium.
With the battle for knockout glory intensifying, clubs will not only be fighting for a place in the quarter-finals but also waiting to discover their next opponents in one of South African football’s premier cup competitions. The draw is expected to attract significant attention as supporters eagerly anticipate potential heavyweight clashes.
Unlike an open draw, the Carling Knockout quarter-final draw will follow a seeded format designed to reward teams based on their league performance during the previous Premiership season. This means the highest-ranked clubs from last season will receive protection from facing one another in the quarter-final stage.
According to the tournament regulations, the four clubs that finished highest in the previous Premiership standings will be placed among the seeded teams. The remaining four clubs advancing from the Round of 16 will be classified as unseeded teams.
To conduct the draw, three separate bowls will be used and labelled Pot A, Pot B and Pot C. Pot A will contain the names of the four seeded clubs, Pot C will contain the names of the four unseeded clubs, while Pot B will initially remain empty.
The draw process has been carefully structured to determine both the quarter-final pairings and the venues. First, a ball containing the name of a seeded club will be drawn from Pot A and placed unopened into Pot B.
Thereafter, a ball containing the name of an unseeded club will be drawn from Pot C and also placed unopened into Pot B. Once both teams have been added, the balls in Pot B will be opened to determine the fixture.
The first ball drawn from Pot B will be designated as the home team, while the second ball drawn will become the away team. This process will ensure that the hosting rights are decided fairly and randomly.
The procedure will then be repeated until all four quarter-final ties have been finalized. As a result, supporters can expect a mixture of anticipation and drama as clubs learn both their opponents and whether they will enjoy home-ground advantage.
With several of the country’s top teams still in contention, the draw could produce some mouth-watering fixtures in the next round. However, before attention fully turns to the quarter-finals, the remaining Round of 16 contenders must first secure their passage, with Durban City and Stellenbosch FC set to bring the curtain down on this stage before the draw officially begins.