The next level begins – Cape Co-Ed Cup delivers on Day 1
The Cape Co-Ed U13 Cup powered by Belgotex Sport got underway on Thursday with 32 teams taking to the turf across four venues for the opening day of the 2026 tournament.
Day 1 is about putting yourself in the right position. Some teams did that emphatically, others had to fight for every point and across both competitions there is still plenty to be decided when the tournament resumes on Friday.
Girls In the girls competition, Gene Louw and Beaumont both made perfect starts in Pool C.
Gene Louw were particularly impressive, recording back-to-back 3-0 victories over Wynberg Girls and Hendrik Louw. Beaumont were made to work slightly harder, beating Hendrik Louw 3-1 before edging Wynberg Girls 1-0. Their meeting on Day 2 will now carry plenty of weight.
Pool A is nicely poised after Curro Durbanville and Outeniqua both started with victories before cancelling each other out in a 2-2 draw. Herschel also got themselves onto the board with a 2-0 victory over Somerset House after losing their opener.
There was little separating the sides in Pool B. Kenridge started with an impressive 3-0 win over Eikestad, but Hermanus responded later in the day with a 1-0 victory over Kenridge. Eikestad bounced back to defeat Somerset College 2-0, while Hermanus and Somerset shared the points.
Pool D also remains open. Sweet Valley took four points from their opening two games, beating Durbanville 2-0 before drawing 1-1 with De Hoop. De Hoop had earlier beaten Level Up Academy 3-1, while Durbanville responded to their opening defeat with a 2-0 victory.
There is very little room for error when the girls return on Day 2.
Boys The boys competition produced some of the biggest statements of the opening day.
De Hoop certainly made one of them. After starting their Pool C campaign with a 2-0 victory over Hermanus, they finished the day with a superb 7-0 win over Eikestad. Eikestad had earlier beaten Kenridge 2-0, while Hermanus kept themselves in the conversation with a 3-1 win over Kenridge.
In Pool B, Gene Louw were equally impressive. They opened with a 3-0 win over Rondebosch and followed that with a 5-0 victory over Hendrik Louw. Defending boys champions Beaumont started with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Hendrik Louw, before Rondebosch turned the tables on them with a 3-2 win of their own.
Pool A could hardly be tighter. Bishops opened with a 5-0 victory over Somerset College but were held 1-1 by Durbanville PS in their second outing. Sweet Valley drew 2-2 with Durbanville before beating Somerset College 2-1. That leaves plenty riding on the final pool matches.
Somerset House enjoyed a perfect afternoon in Pool D, opening with a 4-0 victory over Outeniqua before defeating SACS 3-1. SACS had started strongly with a 4-1 win over Curro Durbanville, who then bounced back to edge Outeniqua 1-0.
And that is Day 1.
Some teams have taken control. Some pools remain completely open. And for everyone else, the equation on Day 2 becomes very simple — perform when it matters.
The Boys Trophy and Girls Trophy will be decided, while results across both competitions will ultimately determine who walks away with the coveted Cape Co-Ed Trophy.
All matches are streamed live on the SuperSport Schools App, with fixtures, results and standings available on the Enhanced Sports App.
The Cape Co-Ed U13 Cup is powered by Belgotex Sport, alongside Brabo, Enhanced Sports, ES Media and Tayla Sportswear.
Day 1 put everyone in position. Day 2 decides it.
