| Current: | 2023 Carling Knockout Cup |
| Founded: | 1982 |
| Number Of Teams: | 16 |
| Region: |  |
| Current Champions: | Stellenbosch F.C. (1st title) |
| Most Successful Club: | Kaizer Chiefs (13 titles) |
| Motto: | Fak'ugesi |
| Website: | Carlingblacklabelcup.co.za |
| Broadcasters: | •SuperSport•SABC Sport |
The Carling Knockout Cup is a South African professional football knockout competition which comprises the 16 teams in the South African Premier Division.
The competition was established in 1982 and was first known as the Datsun Challenge. Under the new NSL regime in 1984, it became known as the JPS Knockout Cup. It used this name until 1992 when it became known as the Coca-Cola Cup. It was sponsored by the drinks manufacturer until 1996, when it was replaced by the Rothmans Cup which was changed back to the Coca-Cola Cup in 2001 due to the new rules regarding tobacco sponsorship in sport. Telkom became the new sponsors in 2006 until 2020. The 2020/21 edition was cancelled after the loss of the main sponsor[1] and in August 2021 it was confirmed that the tournament would no longer be held, citing fixture congestion.[2] However the competition resumed in the 2023/24 season following a new sponsorship deal with alcoholic beverage company Carling Black Label, being renamed the Carling Knockout Cup.[3] [4]
The Carling Knockout Cup is the second League cup of the PSL and cup number three of the DStv Premiership following the MTN 8 and the Nedbank Cup.
The Carling Knockout Cup was officially launched on 10 October 2023.[5]
The format that will be used in this Competition is the Knockout Stage phase.[6] The competition will be played by 16 teams in a single knockout match.
A winner will be decided after Full-time(90 minutes).If the two teams playing against each other are still tied after Full-time, then the match will go through to Extra time.If the points are still tied then the match will go through to Penalty Shoot-outs.The winner of the match must be decided on at the end of the match/day.
After the conclusion of the season of this competition, the winner will play against a best-Xl voted by the fans.The all-stars team must consist of 6 players from the First tier league and 6 players from second tier and the coach must also be voted on by the fans.
| Wins | First final won | Most recent final won | Runners-up | Most recent final lost | Total final appearances | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaizer Chiefs | 13 | 1983 | 2010 | 4 | 2015 | 17 | |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | 4 | 1990 | 2019 | 4 | 2012 | 8¹ | |
| Bidvest Wits (previously Wits University) | 3 | 1985 | 2017 | 2 | 2011 | 5 | |
| Ajax Cape Town | 2 | 2000 | 2008 | 2 | 2009 | 4 | |
| Jomo Cosmos | 2 | 2002 | 2005 | 2 | 2001 | 4 | |
| Platinum Stars (previously Silver Stars) | 2 | 2006 | 2013 | 2 | 2014 | 4 | |
| Umtata Bush Bucks | 2 | 1993 | 1996 | 0 | – | 2 | |
| Orlando Pirates | 1 | 2011 | 2011 | 8 | 2018 | 9 | |
| Supersport United | 1 | 2014 | 2014 | 3 | 2016 | 4 | |
| Bloemfontein Celtic | 1 | 2012 | 2012 | 1 | 2017 | 2 | |
| Arcadia Shepherds | 1 | 1982 | 1982 | 0 | – | 1 | |
| Durban Bush Bucks | 1 | 1987 | 1987 | 1 | – | 2 | |
| AmaZulu | 1 | 1992 | 1992 | 0 | – | 1 | |
| Dynamos | 1 | 1991 | 1991 | 0 | – | 1 | |
| Cape Town City | 1 | 2016 | 2016 | 0 | – | 1 | |
| Baroka | 1 | 2018 | 2018 | 0 | – | 1 | |
| Stellenbosch | 1 | 2023 | 2023 | 0 | – | 1 | |
| Moroka Swallows | 0 | – | – | 2 | 1989 | 2 | |
| Highlands Park | 0 | – | – | 1 | 1982 | 1 | |
| Maritzburg United | 0 | - | - | 1 | 2019 | 1 | |
| TS Galaxy | 0 | - | - | 1 | 2023 | 1 |