UL Search for First Varsity Football Victory Continues Against UFS
The search for a first victory continues for the University of Limpopo (UL) men’s football team as they prepare to welcome the University of the Free State (UFS) to the Oscar Mpetha Stadium on Friday, 28 August 2026.
UL have endured a difficult start to their return to the Varsity Football stage, losing all three of their opening matches. Their campaign began with a 2–0 defeat to Durban University of Technology (DUT) at home before they suffered a 3–0 loss to Wits University. Their latest setback came against University of Johannesburg (UJ), who defeated UL 2–0 at the UJ Soweto Stadium on 21 August.
The results leave UL still searching for their first points from a victory, but Friday’s fixture presents an important opportunity to turn their campaign around. UFS arrive in Mankweng in a similarly difficult position. The defending champions have also lost all three of their opening matches, going down 4–2 to UP-Tuks, 1–0 to Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), and most recently 3–1 to Wits.
That makes Friday’s encounter particularly significant. Both sides know that a win could provide a much-needed boost and potentially change the direction of their respective campaigns.
A battle between two teams looking for answers
UL’s return to Varsity Football was highly anticipated after the men’s team qualified for the competition for the first time since 2018. The team entered the tournament with an ambitious target of competing with the country’s leading university football programmes. Head coach Lesetja “Dukes” Laka said before the tournament that the team wanted to be aggressive, intentional and collect maximum points.
Captain Reggie Kabelo Masebe has also spoken about the hunger within the squad, saying the players were determined to fight for the badge, the supporters and the university.
The early results, however, have not gone their way.
UL have shown periods of competitiveness, particularly in the first half of matches. Against DUT, for example, the sides went into halftime level at 0–0 before the visitors scored twice after the break. Against UJ, UL again went into halftime with the score at 0–0 before the Johannesburg side found the breakthrough in the second half.
The challenge now is to turn those competitive spells into a complete 90-minute performance.
UFS also desperate for a turnaround
The Free State side will arrive at Oscar Mpetha Stadium with their own concerns. UFS are the reigning Varsity Football champions after winning their first-ever title in 2025, defeating TUT on penalties in the final.
Their title defence, however, has started poorly. They opened the 2026 campaign with a 4–2 defeat to UP-Tuks and then lost to TUT before Wits handed them a third consecutive defeat last Friday. Varsity Sports described the loss to Wits as UFS’s third straight defeat and confirmed that the Kovsies will now travel to Mankweng to face UL in Round 4.
With both teams searching for their first victory, Friday’s match could be one of the most important fixtures of the season for UL.
Oscar Mpetha ready for another big night
The match will be played at the Oscar Mpetha Stadium on the University of Limpopo’s Turfloop Campus. The stadium has already hosted UL’s opening Varsity Football matches this season and is expected to provide the home side with another opportunity to draw energy from its supporters.
Supporters can purchase tickets online, with Varsity Sports listing UL men’s home-match tickets at R20. Gates are scheduled to open two hours before kick-off.
The University of Limpopo has called on students, staff, alumni and supporters to rally behind the team throughout the 2026 campaign.
For UL, Friday is more than another fixture. It is an opportunity to finally put three difficult weeks behind them and give their supporters something to celebrate.
UL vs UFS
📅 Friday, 28 August 2026
🏟️ Oscar Mpetha Stadium, University of Limpopo
