Nedbank Cup Final | 3 October 2026
Stilfontein Real Hearts came within a single kick of glory but fell to the cruellest of endings on Saturday, losing the Nedbank Cup final to Queenkay Stars on penalties after a goalless 90 minutes at the Montshioa Artificial Turf. With nothing to separate the sides across the match, the final was settled from the spot, and it was Queenkay Stars who held their nerve to win the shootout 5-4. For S.R.H FC, it is a result that will sting for a long time: so near to the trophy, and denied only in the lottery of penalties.
A final too tight to call
There is no fairer way to describe a 0-0 final than evenly matched, and so it proved. Stilfontein Real Hearts went toe to toe with Queenkay Stars for the full ninety, giving nothing away at the back and refusing to be beaten in open play. Both defences held firm, chances were at a premium, and the longer the game stayed level the more it felt destined for the spot-kicks. Real Hearts did everything asked of them to reach that point with the tie still alive.
The agony of the shootout
Penalties are the game at its most merciless, and this one went almost the full distance. Stilfontein converted four of their kicks, a return that wins many a shootout, but Queenkay Stars went one better, holding their composure to score five and settle the final 5-4. A single miss, a single save, a single inch — that is the margin by which the Nedbank Cup slipped away. There is no consoling a side on the wrong end of a shootout, only the bitter knowledge of how little separated them from lifting the cup.
Final word
To reach a Nedbank Cup final and take it to the last penalty is an achievement Stilfontein Real Hearts should wear with pride, even through the pain of the night. Finals are not lost on the day they are decided from twelve yards; they are reached through a campaign of belief and hard work, and this group gave their supporters a run to remember. The hurt is real, but so is the proof of what this team can do. Dust off, regroup, and go again, Real Hearts will know they belong on days like this.
