The qualification pathway to the 2027 Nedbank Cup round of 32 for Eastern Cape ABC Motsepe League teams will begin this weekend at numerous venues across the province.
There will be five groups consisting of teams from OR Tambo, Chris Hani, Nelson Mandela, Alfred Nzo, Amathole and Buffalo City.
The preliminary Nedbank Cup rounds will see Sundays River, Valley Academy, Old Grey, GQ Cavaliers FC and Gqeberha United in NMB group at SAPS Main Field in Gqeberha.
The second group will see University of Fort Hare, Buffalo City Relatives, Makana Rhini United and Prides AFC competing at the Fort Hare Campus in Dikeni.
For Alfred Nzo it will be Sinenkani , Matatiele CitBizana Pondo City and Ravens going at each other at the Mphuthumi Mafumbatha Stadium in Bizana.
OR Tambo will have Bush Bucks United, Amaxesibe and Matta Milan fighting it out in Mthatha.
Chris Hani will have Seven Stars, Komani United, Camdeboo Academy Football Development and Amavarara tussling out in Komani.
The winners of the five groups will proceed to the quarter-finals, followed by semis and the final.
The winner of the final from the ABC Motsepe will square up with provincial Regional League winners of the Nedbank Cup prelims.
That will determine which team will be the province's third representative for the cup competition.
Mighty Eagles, who have since been relegated from the Motsepe League, together with PSL teams Chippa United and Highbury, were part of the province's delegation for the Nedbank Cup last season.
Out of all the remaining teams, only three have tasted the Nedbank Cup previously: Amavarara in 2023, Sinenkani in 2022, where they made headlines advancing past Free State Stars in the round of 32 and lastly FC Ravens, who reached the last 16 in 2024.
