Motsepe Foundation Championship — Round 30 | 17 May 2026
A 3-1 final-round win over Gomora United was not enough to drag Casric Stars into the PSL promotion playoffs, with the Johannesburg side closing the Motsepe Foundation Championship on 52 points — two clear of fifth, but two short of the playoff cut.
A win that did the job, but only just
Casric Stars produced the result they had to and ground out a 3-1 win against Gomora United, but the maths had already turned against them earlier in the day. Goals at both ends of the match book-ended a workmanlike afternoon, with the third arriving late enough to settle nerves but not late enough to change the picture above. Cape Town City and Milford had both done what they needed to do, and Casric needed Cape Town City to slip up. They did not.
Fourth place, fifty-two points, no playoff
Fourth in the final standings on 52 points — a club-best return in their second professional season — and yet a finish that ends without the promotion playoffs that would have crowned it. Two points short. The kind of margin that will be argued over all summer in dressing-room reviews and on long bus rides back from the away fixtures the squad will pick out as the ones that got away. Casric Stars have shown that they belong in the conversation. They just have to find the points next season.
Where the project goes from here
The Johannesburg side has built a reputation for competing on a budget and producing players the Premiership scouts have started watching. The off-season conversation will turn on whether the squad can be kept together and whether the marginal gains needed to bridge those final two points can be found in recruitment or in conditioning. Coach and board will not pretend the disappointment is small, but the trajectory of the club has been clearly upwards for two years now.
Final word
A 3-1 win, a fourth-place finish, and a campaign that came up two points short of the promotion playoffs Casric Stars deserved to be in. The supporters will be back next season. The side that wears the badge will be expected to finish the job.
