Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs unexpectedly lost their respective Friday CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup second preliminary round ties, but both have the chance to convert disappointment into blessings in disguise.
Meanwhile, Orlando Pirates look to pick up Sundowns' spot at the summit of Africa, as the only PSL side still in the Champions League.
Make no mistake about it: Abdeslam Ouaddou will be the happiest of the 'big three' coaches after sweeping aside Namibia's African Stars despite knowing there is fixture congestion looming.
The ability for Chiefs and Sundowns to make water out of wine in this situation is dependent on a South African Premiership season which can only crown one champion, a title Pirates currently hold.
Sundowns have already won the MTN8 and made what is effectively the semi-finals of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, but standards have been set sky-high at Chloorkop, and so they can ill-afford any further slip-ups after losing to Angola's Wiliete on away goals as a result of a 1-1 draw at Loftus Versfeld.
Having now lost all hope of defending their African crown, they dare not slip up in the race to the Premiership title again.
Chiefs' CAF Confederation Cup defeat on penalties to Zambia's Red Arrows was even less excusable than Sundowns' loss, given the Brazilians were playing against Angola's Girabola leaders while dealing with injuries and fatigue to key players such as Khuliso Mudau and Teboho Mokoena, and were arguably unlucky to see Brayan Leon's goal disallowed early in the second half.
However, the potential for Chiefs to turn this defeat into a blessing in disguise is even greater than that of Sundowns. What their fans crave, above all else, is a first PSL title victory since 2015. A Confederation Cup win could not have quenched the thirst of Chiefs supporters, but they now have a chance to focus solely on attaining league success.
Sundowns' legs and luck run out
Despite tallying 18 shots to Wiliete's six, and 10 on target to the Angolan league leaders' two, in the second leg at Loftus Versfeld, Mamelodi Sundowns were undone by Mabululu's goal after he latched onto Cassius Mailula's wayward pass and slotted past Ronwen Williams.
That goal, 48 minutes into the second leg, was an equaliser for Wiliete on Friday night after Tashreeq Matthews shot - deflected off Wiwi - had given Sundowns the lead. However, Mabululu's equaliser ended up being the winner, as Sundowns had failed to score in a 0-0 draw in Angola, and Wiliete thus took the tie on away goals.
Fine margins continue to define the tenure of Miguel Cardoso. The Portuguese tactician last season delivered Sundowns' second CAF Champions League title and their first in 10 years, but only after scraping through the group stage.
He also very nearly delivered Sundowns' ninth straight Premiership title, but Pirates clinched the trophy on the final day of the season.
After the Champions League success last season, Cardoso has an immovable place in Sundowns' history, but a second successive failure to win the Premiership would not go down well, even for a coach that has built up credit.
Pirates have a chance to restore old order
Before Sundowns' Champions League triumphs in 2016 and 2026, Orlando Pirates had become the first South African side to lift the trophy in 1995.
Pirates again made the final in 2013, but the financial might of the Motsepe family eventually proved too difficult to compete with on the continent.
When a determined Pitso Mosimane took charge off the back of failure in his first stint with Bafana Bafana, he planted the seeds of a pan-African domination project which promptly came to fruition.
In 2024-25, Pirates returned to the CAF Champions League semi-finals under Jose Riveiro - a sign that their investment into a reinvigorated scouting and performance analysis model had paid dividends.
Morocco's Ouaddou took over ahead of last season and despite disappointment in the Champions League second preliminary round against Saint-Eloi Lupopo, Pirates won their first Premiership title in 14 years.
Now, they have a chance to restore supremacy on the continent as South Africa's only Champions League representatives in the group stage.
Success in Africa is never easy -- particularly against well-financed and well-established sides from North Africa. Former Pirates head coach Rulani Mokwena's Pyramids FC have to go down as one of the favourites, having won the tournament in 2024-25 under Krunoslav Jurcic - beating Pirates and Sundowns in the semi-final and final respectively.
However, Pyramids' success in recent years has come against a backdrop of historical domination from older North African clubs such as Egypt's Al Ahly and Zamalek, Morocco's Wydad and Raja Casablanca, and Tunisia's Esperance -- with DR Congo's TP Mazembe the most consistent Sub-Saharan African challengers to the established order.
Al Ahly, Raja, Wydad and Mazembe are not competing in this year's group stage, while Zamalek are in the mix but still not as consistent as they were in their heyday.
Esperance will feature, but given how utterly dominant Sundowns were against them in last season's semi-finals, Pirates could be forgiven for wondering if perhaps the stage is set for an outsider to clinch the trophy - or at least give it a good shot.
Can Kaizer Chiefs turn their season around?
Fernando da Cruz finds himself under huge pressure less than four months into his Kaizer Chiefs tenure, after elimination in the MTN8 and Confederation Cup and five draws from his first eight league fixtures.
However, the Premiership is not yet out of reach for Amakhosi, and this might just be an opportunity for them to refocus on league success.
Chiefs are fifth in the league with 14 points from eight games - one of only three unbeaten sides remaining in the Premiership. Sundowns have 23 points from nine games and Pirates 22 from eight.
AmaZulu are off to a strong start with six wins, one draw and one defeat -- a total of 19 points from eight games. Milford have 15 from nine, but Chiefs can leapfrog them by winning their game in hand.
Amakhosi can not afford any further slip-ups. The bar has been raised substantially in recent years in terms of points needed to win the league. Having finished third last season and won the Nedbank Cup the season before, Chiefs cannot realistically argue that anything less than a first top two finish since 2019-20 would represent significant progress.
Pirates and Sundowns have effectively operated as a duopoly at the top of South African football for some time. They have been the top two sides in the league in each of the last four seasons.
One team vying for the challenger spots vacated in recent years by Bidvest Wits and SuperSport United is Durban City, who beat Mauritian side Port Louis 6-1 over two legs to book a Confederation group stage spot.
Having won the Nedbank Cup last season, City are fast developing a winning culture. With AmaZulu looking like the biggest challengers to the Gauteng 'big three' in the league, the future looks bright for Durban football.