On the 18th and 19th of January 2025, the Bayhill Playoffs will return for what promises to be an exciting weekend of football. The event, which showcases the next generation of football stars, is scheduled to take place at William Herbert Sports Complex in Wynberg.  

Once the first whistle is blown and the teams kick off, it will signal Phase 3 of the tournament. So far, 72 teams have been competing to feature in the main event. At least 90 percent of them will appear for the first time in the 2025 play-offs, which means more history will be made this year as the competition in Cape Town continues to grow.  

Sixty teams have been eliminated from the competition, with a further 132 teams still set to participate in the remaining five phases of the seven-phase play-offs, which will undoubtedly see more heartbreak and disappointment for those that cannot make it. Despite that, the experience will surely help everyone competing in the playoffs to be better prepared in the future.  

As the event continues to grow in popularity, the BPC LOC intends to spread the rest of the play-offs to venues like Langa on the 25th and 26th of January, Solo Street on the 1st and 2nd of February, and Strandfontein on the 8th and 9th of February 2025. This will give more visibility to the competition and allow the teams to play in different environments as they compete to qualify for the competition proper later this year. The play-offs culminate in the round-robin (Phase 7) at William Herbert Sports Complex on the 22nd and 23rd of February 2025. These venues are subject to change based on conditions and availability.  

That being said, it promises to be an exciting time with a few surprises. Memories will be made, and most importantly, the best football teams will come out on top.  

At the end of the playoffs, 12 teams will qualify for the tournament proper. This will come after they have endured the gruelling seven-phase play-offs, which stretch from October 2024 to February 2025.  

Rayaan Alie, the tournament director, sends his best wishes to the teams competing in the playoffs this year. “We wish all our participants well over the next two months as the play-off phases intensify. We will be going at it week after week from the 18th of January to the 23rd of February 2025, and we are excited to see who will make it through to the tournament proper in April this year. We have already had some upsets in the previous phases, and it will be interesting to see how things unfold over the next few weeks,” he shares as the tournament playoffs get underway