Summary
The South African Premier Division (RSA1), or Absa Premiership, is the top professional level league-style competition in South Africa. At the end of the 2018-2019 RSA1 season, the RSA1 teams qualify for non-league play:
- 2020 CAF Champions League:
- 1st and 2nd place 2018-2019 RSA1 teams
- 2020 CAF Confederation Cup:
- 3rd place 2018-2019 RSA1 team
Leagues Pyramid - South Africa
| Abbrev | League | # of Teams |
|---|---|---|
| RSA1 | Absa Premiership | 16 |
| RSA2 | National First Division | 16 |
| RSA3 | SAFA Second Division | 144 |
Competition Structure
Season | # of Teams | ||
| 4 Aug 2018 - 11 May 2019 | 16: RSA1 (14 minimum), RSA2 (2 maximum) | ||
Season Format
Each RSA1 team plays Home-Away matches with the other 15 RSA1 teams for a total of 30 league matches. Table ranking ties are broken by (1) goal difference, (2) goals scored, (3) head-to-head points, (4) head-to-head goal difference, (5) head-to-head goals scored, then (6) a playoff.
Playoffs
Not applicable.
Relegation
At the end of the 2018-2019 season, the 16th place RSA1 team will be relegated to the RSA2, and the 1st place RSA2 team wil be promoted to the 2019-2020 RSA1. The 15th place RSA1 team enters into a Promotion/Relegation Playoff with the 2nd and 3rd place RSA2 teams. In this playoff, each team plays Home-Away matches against the other 2 teams. The team with the most points plays in the 2019-2020 RSA1, while the other 2 teams play in the 2019-2020 RSA2.
More Info...
Relegation Playoffs
| Group | League | Home | Road | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POS | MP | W - D - L | PTS | CPTS | GF | GA | GD | MP | W - D - L | PTS | GF | GA | GD | MP | W - D - L | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
| 1 | Maritzburg United FC (RSA2) | 4 | 4 -0-0 | 12 | - | 7 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 2 -0-0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 -0-0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | TTM (RSA1) | 4 | 1 -0-3 | 3 | - | 3 | 6 | -3 | 2 | 1 -0-1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 2 | 0 -0-2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| 3 | Royal Eagles FC (RSA2) | 4 | 1 -0-3 | 3 | - | 2 | 5 | -3 | 2 | 1 -0-1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 2 | 0 -0-2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -2 |
Promotion to RSA1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | Home | Status | Road | Venue | ||||
| 15.05.19 |  | 10 | TTM | Chatsworth Stadium |
| 19.05.19 |  | 10 | Royal Eagles FC | Harry Gwala Stadium |
| 22.05.19 | | 02 | Maritzburg United FC | Thohoyandou Stadium |
| 25.05.19 | | 21 | Royal Eagles FC | Thohoyandou Stadium |
| 29.05.19 | | 02 | Maritzburg United FC | Chatsworth Stadium |
| 01.06.19 | | 21 | TTM | Harry Gwala Stadium |
| League | Home | Road | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POS | MP | W - D - L | PTS | CPTS | GF | GA | GD | MP | W - D - L | PTS | GF | GA | GD | MP | W - D - L | PTS | GF | GA | GD | |
| 1 | Mamelodi Sundowns FC | 30 | 16 -11-3 | 59 | - | 40 | 24 | 16 | 15 | 6 -7-2 | 25 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 15 | 10 -4-1 | 34 | 22 | 12 | 10 |
| 2 | Orlando Pirates FC | 30 | 15 -12-3 | 57 | - | 44 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 7 -7-1 | 28 | 25 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 8 -5-2 | 29 | 19 | 12 | 7 |
| 3 | Bidvest Wits FC | 30 | 16 -6-8 | 54 | - | 45 | 29 | 16 | 15 | 7 -2-6 | 23 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 15 | 9 -4-2 | 31 | 23 | 14 | 9 |
| 4 | Cape Town City FC | 30 | 13 -9-8 | 48 | - | 47 | 35 | 12 | 15 | 7 -6-2 | 27 | 28 | 18 | 10 | 15 | 6 -3-6 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 2 |
| 5 | Polokwane City FC | 30 | 11 -11-8 | 44 | - | 38 | 35 | 3 | 15 | 6 -4-5 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 2 | 15 | 5 -7-3 | 22 | 15 | 14 | 1 |
| 6 | SuperSport United FC | 30 | 12 -8-10 | 44 | - | 29 | 29 | 0 | 15 | 7 -4-4 | 25 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 15 | 5 -4-6 | 19 | 12 | 17 | -5 |
| 7 | Highlands Park FC | 30 | 9 -14-7 | 41 | - | 35 | 32 | 3 | 15 | 7 -5-3 | 26 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 15 | 2 -9-4 | 15 | 15 | 16 | -1 |
| 8 | Bloemfontein Celtic FC | 30 | 11 -7-12 | 40 | - | 35 | 37 | -2 | 15 | 6 -3-6 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 15 | 5 -4-6 | 19 | 17 | 20 | -3 |
| 9 | Kaizer Chiefs FC | 30 | 9 -12-9 | 39 | - | 33 | 29 | 4 | 15 | 5 -5-5 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 4 -7-4 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 4 |
| 10 | AmaZulu FC | 30 | 10 -7-13 | 37 | - | 33 | 41 | -8 | 15 | 7 -6-2 | 27 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 3 -1-11 | 10 | 13 | 31 | -18 |
| 11 | Golden Arrows FC | 30 | 8 -12-10 | 36 | - | 27 | 31 | -4 | 15 | 6 -3-6 | 21 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 2 -9-4 | 15 | 12 | 16 | -4 |
| 12 | Chippa United FC | 30 | 7 -9-14 | 30 | - | 27 | 35 | -8 | 15 | 4 -4-7 | 16 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 15 | 3 -5-7 | 14 | 16 | 21 | -5 |
| 13 | Black Leopards FC | 30 | 7 -9-14 | 30 | - | 30 | 46 | -16 | 15 | 6 -4-5 | 22 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 15 | 1 -5-9 | 8 | 13 | 32 | -19 |
| 14 | Baroka FC | 30 | 6 -11-13 | 29 | - | 27 | 37 | -10 | 15 | 2 -7-6 | 13 | 14 | 19 | -5 | 15 | 4 -4-7 | 16 | 13 | 18 | -5 |
| 15 | Maritzburg United FC | 30 | 6 -9-15 | 27 | - | 22 | 32 | -10 | 15 | 4 -6-5 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 2 -3-10 | 9 | 7 | 17 | -10 |
| 16 | Free State Stars FC | 30 | 6 -9-15 | 27 | - | 31 | 47 | -16 | 15 | 4 -5-6 | 17 | 19 | 21 | -2 | 15 | 2 -4-9 | 10 | 12 | 26 | -14 |
CAFCL CAFCC Relegation Playoffs Relegation | ||||||||||||||||||||
Results
 | 02 | Highlands Park FC | Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium |
 | 11 | Maritzburg United FC | Pietersburg Stadium |
 | 10 | Kaizer Chiefs FC | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
 | 01 | Mamelodi Sundowns FC | Goble Park Stadium |
 | 01 | Bidvest Wits FC | Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium |
 | 31 | AmaZulu FC | Sisa Dukashe Stadium |
 | 10 | Cape Town City FC | Thohoyandou Stadium |
 | 30 | Polokwane City FC | Orlando Stadium |
| 20 | Golden Arrows FC | Loftus Versfeld Stadium |
| 22 | Orlando Pirates FC | Athlone Stadium |
| 11 | Black Leopards FC | King Zwelithini Stadium |
| 31 | SuperSport United FC | Harry Gwala Stadium |
| 11 | Free State Stars FC | Mbombela Stadium |
| 31 | Baroka FC | BidVest Stadium |
| 10 | Bloemfontein Celtic FC | Makhulong Stadium |
| 13 | Chippa United FC | Pietersburg Stadium |
| 12 | Mamelodi Sundowns FC | Thohoyandou Stadium |
| 10 | AmaZulu FC | Pietersburg Stadium |
| 21 | Free State Stars FC | Princess Magogo Stadium |
| 10 | Kaizer Chiefs FC | Peter Mokaba Stadium |