With the dust settled and the champions crowned in the Elite Club Challenge, the spotlight shifted to those waiting in the wings, the clubs chasing their ticket to the top table.

Four teams. Two finals. One chance to write their name into 2026.

Women’s Qualifier Final – Shumbas Claim Their Crown

They came in as favourites. They left as champions in waiting.

Shumbas have been simply unstoppable all tournament long, and in the final, they were every bit as composed, clinical, and commanding as expected.

Gabriella Terblanche, whose name has lit up the stat sheets all weekend, delivered once more, linking up on a slick 1-2 before hammering home a reverse stick finish. It set the tone early. Abigail Estheruizen then arrived at the back post with perfect timing to guide it home and make it 2–0.

And from there, Shumbas never looked back.

Keovaan Jansen got inventive at a penalty corner, sneaking it past the keeper with subtle brilliance, and Hayley Kilfoil added the finishing touch, her deflected goal from another PC capping off a 4–0 demolition of Khosa.

Shumbas are coming to the 2026 Elite Club Challenge, and they’re not just showing up. They’re coming to compete.

In the bronze medal clash, Benoni Northerns took their frustrations out on Brooklyn, sealing a 4–0 win to walk away with the dirty gold and plenty of pride.

Men’s Qualifier Final – PHSOB’s Redemption Story

In the group stages, Crusaders (Jhb) edged PHSOB. In the final? PHSOB had the last word.

It started brightly for the Johannesburg side, with Kyle Cameron rifling home a drag flick to give Crusaders the lead and spark hopes of a dream run.

But PHSOB have been building quietly all weekend. No noise. Just steel.

They levelled the contest through Matthew Davies, who hustled hard on a penalty corner rebound and forced it home with authority. Then came the moment, the matchbreaker, the memory-maker.

Sheldon Supra, with time, space, and nerve, fired home a stunning finish to seal a 2–1 comeback win and with it, a return to the Elite Club Challenge for one of South Africa’s proudest clubs.

In the bronze game, Impis showed resilience, shaking off their final near-miss with a professional 2–0 win over

Shumbas, ending their tournament on a high note.

What Comes Next

So here it is. The door to 2026 has officially been unlocked.

• Shumbas Women walk in as a threat, not a novelty.
• PHSOB Men return with unfinished business.

These aren’t just qualifiers. These are the next storytellers of the Elite Club Challenge. And if this weekend was anything to go by, we’re going to need more pages in the legacy book.