They have 13 titles dating back to the inaugural competition in 1982, with the next most successful club, Mamelodi Sundowns, having just four wins. Chiefs’ archrivals Orlando Pirates have only two victories, though one of those was last season, and they enter the 2026 campaign as defending champions.
Chiefs have a home Last 16 clash with TS Galaxy on Tuesday night, and another exit from a knockout competition could have severe consequences for coach Fernando Da Cruz.
Amakhosi’s last triumph in the Carling Knockout competition came in 2010 when they defeated Pirates 3-0 in the final.
From the start of the Premier Soccer League era in 1996/97, they won the title in eight of the first 15 seasons but have not done so since. Their most recent final appearance was in 2015/16, when they lost to Sundowns.
Across the 27 editions in that time, Chiefs have reached at least the semi-finals 14 times, but have not done so since the competition returned to the calendar in 2023/24, having had a hiatus while there was no sponsor.
They have also exited in the first round on seven occasions, including last season when they lost on penalties to Stellenbosch FC. They also went out in the opening round in 2023 to AmaZulu and in the quarter-finals to Sundowns in 2024, when they lost 4-0, their heaviest defeat in the competition.
Not counting penalty shootouts, Chiefs have won only one of their last eight Carling Knockout matches (W1 D3 L4), which was a 4-0 success at SuperSport United in 2024.